


At Your Mercy

by likeuwuahh



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: F/F, billionaire au, twice
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-22
Updated: 2019-02-04
Packaged: 2019-03-22 08:50:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 42,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13760550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/likeuwuahh/pseuds/likeuwuahh
Summary: You ask everyone in the neighbourhood.They'll all tell you everything that you want to know.Like,Myoui Mina is perceptive.Park Jihyo is bold.Myoui Mina is cunning.Park Jihyo is ambitious.Myoui Enterprises and Park Industries have been enemies for more years than anyone can recall. Their children were billionaires at the age of 21, owning the two largest companies in the country. There are no cheap tricks or cutting off corners when it comes to business between the two. When they are forced to work alongside each other, what will ensue?





	1. [001] - [you think I'd stoop that low?]

**Author's Note:**

> Witty comebacks, sarcastic remarks and simply irresponsible, with a touch of chaos.
> 
> 1 - I really have a soft spot for Jihyo ships
> 
> 2 - DaTzu is absolutely adorable
> 
> I hope you enjoy this :^)
> 
> *There will be some swearing in the story*

“She’s here!”

The conversations in the office quietened down quickly as everyone rushed to their spots. Workers lined up at the entrance of the building, fixing up their suits and skirts. The head manager made sure everyone was in spot, calling out whoever was looking like they were about to fall asleep. She cleared her throat as they all heard the front door of the building slam shut due to the extreme wind outside.

Their CEO walked in, sunglasses still on despite being inside of the building. Her face was stoic and lacked any hint of what was going on in her mind. It was nothing new to the workers who’d been by her side ever since she was given the role to take over the company. They all bowed to her as she headed their way, the typical morning greeting.

“Good morning.” Her voice boomed across the entrance.

Her secretary followed behind her as she passed a stack of papers over to their CEO on the way to the office. The workers took a deep breath as the intimidating figure disappeared from their sights.

“Has anyone ever seen her smile?” A worker mumbled.

“Smile? No. But her loyalty is something to admire. Miss Jihyo has always kept her staff’s wellbeing in mind.” Another person spoke out. “We should all be glad for have a CEO like her – or else we wouldn’t be keeping our jobs.”

Park Jihyo was 23 and the owner of Park Industries after the task was handed over to her when her father thought it was the right time, two years ago. The first thing she learnt as she walked into the whole world of business was that one should never expose their true colours. Always have a façade. The place is filled with sharks who were always trying to find a weakness in your methods to bite you and bring you down.

She didn’t care how anyone else saw her anymore. She refused to show that she could be defeated in anything she participated in. That is why her company is now one of the top clothing producers and manufacturers in the world. Her fashion brand, _Chanson D'amour_ , is present in thousands of stores in cities across the globe.

You ask her why _Chanson D'amour_? What does that even mean? It’s probably another fancy term that has no value, right? For Jihyo, when she rebranded her father’s collection, she wanted it to be something memorable. Her parents were her inspiration when she was a child. She always saw her father serenade her mother on early Saturday mornings. They were all love songs. Ones that stuck to her, even now. _Chanson D'amour_ has the literal meaning of “love song”. It seems cheesy but it’s the memories that she keeps close to her heart.

She’s generally a positive person. That’s why she could still see the happy moments between her parents even after they split apart terribly. Jihyo wanted to be the type of person who turned off her emotions as she observed the downwards spiral her father was going through; all because of her parents’ divorce – but she found a better solution. Though seeing the suffering wavered her belief in the existence of the emotion of love, she just buried it.

The Park Jihyo that the business world knows is bold and ambitious. She’s powerful and she’s demanding. She’s talented and she can be sneaky. She oozes with confidence and never backs down from a challenge. She’s the youngest CEO to take over a company so big. Everyone has expectations of her.

Everyone thinks they know her.

But no one truly does.

Well, maybe just Chou Tzuyu.

The one person who she trusts more than anything is her secretary. She’s been by her side every step of the way, as a friend and a supporter. Basically, she’s the one who makes sure Jihyo isn’t irrational or making silly decisions for the company. She’s incredibly smart and she’s the brainbox that’s behind the expansion of _Chanson D'amour_. She deals with a lot of the technological aspects – like advertising and setting up the website for the brand. But Tzuyu is also stuck with dealing with Jihyo’s anger and frustrations. And she really doesn’t know what she did to deserve such loyalty on her part.

“Plans for today?” Jihyo asked as she reached her office.

“You have a board meeting at midday and then another meeting with the head of _La Belle_ fashion studios for clarification of the fundraiser you’ll be participating in.” Tzuyu answered, handing over a stack of sheets that needed her signature.

“Hmm. What time is the meeting with _La Belle_?” Jihyo frowned as she leaned back in her chair.

“4pm. There will be another person with us during the meeting.” Tzuyu nodded.

“Another person? Who is it?” Jihyo suddenly stood up.

“An investor like you. I’m sure you have an inkling of who it could be.” Tzuyu chuckled, bowing and walking out of her room.

“Bloody Myoui…” Jihyo muttered under her breath.

\---

When Myoui Mina wanted something, she didn’t let anything get in between of her and what she desired. But, this time, she guessed that she had to deal with sharing – even though she didn’t like the way things were probably going to head towards.

She was basically a bitch.

(Also, she might get a kick out of annoying the CEO of Park Industries; but you didn’t hear that from her.)

It astounds her how the things that they both desire seem to overlap sometimes. This fundraiser was set for helping out against child abuse. She immediately wanted to join in on it as soon as she heard about the cause but apparently, she wasn’t quick enough because Park Jihyo had beat her to it. So, now they were both going to have to collaborate together to finalise a line up for the runway of _La Belle_ , set to be held a month from now.

The entire industry knows how competitive both herself and Park can be. The long standing enmity was not hidden under wraps. Though Mina had no idea _how_ or _why_ the two companies were enemies, there was a thrill in stealing investors and locations that the Park Industries seek to claim or purchase. Well, it wasn’t stealing. She was just very convincing when she wanted to be. And the look of anger on Jihyo’s face when that happens is **always** amusing.

Never in her imagination would she ever have expected to have to work by Jihyo’s side but this would be the first instance. She wasn’t going to give up a great chance to get her _Primavera_ line shown to the rest of the celebrities and A-listers who attended the _La Belle_ fundraiser. She was just going to have to swallow her pride and get on with it – with some side teasing as well.

Mina has been running the company on her own ever since both her parents had passed earlier last year in an accident that left her emotionally detached from almost everything around her. Her brother wasn’t impressed in the slightest when she was given all the shares and stocks of the company, leaving him empty handed. He’s always tried to sabotage her assignments and plans for the company but he lacks the skill to create chaos that would ruin her. She’s always been wary of him ever since she’d noticed how he tried to manipulate their parents to favour him over her.

She is a generally angry person. Mina may look calm and composed on the outside but her head is always full of anger. She’s very particular about everything. She hates mistakes and she hates being told no.

She hates her brother.

Goddamn, she hates him with all the hatred she can muster.

There’s a rage burning inside of her whenever she sees that smirk on her brother’s face when he walks into meeting rooms. It takes a lot to not just grab him by the collar and throw him out of the office. But, as her parents wished for her to let him work under her, she can’t do that. However, what she can do is ruin him if he tries to come in between of the company again. Mina is doing a lot for the sake of her parents already.

She has a pessimistic view of most things in life because she simply can’t take the risk of someone trying to benefit off her. Mina hates people who try to suck up to you so that they can get on your good side. Who she is has been shaped by her experiences. The people around her have forced her to become closed off to the world. They’ve made her become cautious and perceptive of her surroundings.

About Park Industries… The hatred she has for Park Jihyo might be hypocritical. You see, it’s quite easy to note that she is pretending to be someone she’s not.

Sure, Mina might be like that in some ways but it’s obvious that her _entire_ being is completely different of who she says she is.

Park Jihyo is unkind, selfish and only thinks about herself. Her ambitious nature makes her personality clear for everyone to see. It represents what she’s like yet people turn a blind eye and think that she’s an innocent and hard-working individual.

That’s terribly wrong.

And she was going to show that was the case.

“Dahyun. Are we ready for the meeting at _La Belle_?” Mina called out to her secretary.

“You have nothing in between so you can leave earlier if that’s what you want?” Dahyun answered as she walked inside her room.

“Mhmm. Let’s go.” Mina nodded, clearing up her desk and heading out of her office with Dahyun in tow.

“I really didn’t expect that you’d be willing to participate in this, you know? I always thought you wanted to avoid Miss Park.” Dahyun conversed as they headed towards her car.

“We try to stay out of each other’s paths but I guess this time will just be different. I’m pretty sure she already has steam coming out of her ears in anger.” Mina chuckled as she relaxed in her seat.

What an interesting meeting to come.

\---

“Hey, calm down and breathe. I’m sure she doesn’t have a major reason for this, okay?” Tzuyu said as she tried to calm down her boss.

“We’ve been at it for two years already and we’ve never met. What the hell is on her mind? Why is she so bratty? Argh!” Jihyo groaned in frustration.

“Well, you’re obviously letting her get to you. Maybe that’s what she wants.” Tzuyu answered nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders.

“Wait… that’s true. She’s probably trying to get me riled up and angry at her so that I’ll blow. Tzuyu, you’re a genius!” Jihyo squealed, hugging her secretary.

“What did I say about hugs.” Tzuyu threatened as she glared at Jihyo.

“Come on~ Let me give you a hug.” Jihyo smiled and squished Tzuyu tightly.

“No physical contact!” Tzuyu whined, pushing Jihyo away.

“Thanks.” Jihyo chuckled, patting her head.

“Let’s go now before I get attacked again.” Tzuyu huffed, leading Jihyo out of her building.

“We’re on schedule, right?” Jihyo asked her driver.

“Yes Ma’am. Just another ten minutes.” He answered, focusing on the road again.

Just moments later, he braked harshly, releasing a string of profanities as the car hit the back of a Mercedes who suddenly swerved into their lane.

“What happened?” Jihyo panicked, getting out of the car quickly to check up on the damaged car.

“Is everyone okay?” Tzuyu joined in, trying to help the passengers.

A woman remained hunched over in the back seat and Jihyo opened it quickly, thinking that she was hurt. She lay a hand on her shoulder, feeling her flinch under her touch. Tzuyu was already tending to the other lady in the car and the two drivers were conversing about insurance.

“Miss? Are you okay?” Jihyo asked softly.

“Mom? Dad?” The girl whispered.

“Hey, it’s okay. Nothing happened. Are you hurt?” Jihyo questioned. She didn’t want to overwhelm the woman who seemed to clearly be in shock.

Jihyo did a double take as soon as the woman looked up at her. She could only groan about her luck, or rather, her misfortune.

It was hard not to able to distinguish the woman in front of her – the person who had tiny moles scattered across her face like a constellation of stars. Her gaze was filled with anger and irritation but Jihyo could only stay rooted in her spot because her beauty was more than she ever expected. Her moments of admiration were cut short when she got up and pushed her away from her.

Jihyo groaned, but sighed heavily as she was pushed against her own car. How did Mina just hide that tiny bit of emotion she’d shown so quickly? Why was she whispering about her parents in such a way that tugged at the strings of her heart?

“What kind of cheap trick are you trying to pull here right now Park!” Mina shouted, jabbing a finger into her chest, turning everyone’s attention to them.

 “Wh – what are you talking about?” Jihyo stuttered, feeling suddenly intimidated by the distance.

“Just because I got myself a part of the fundraiser, doesn’t mean you can try to ruin plans.” Mina snickered.

“Excuse me? You think I’d stoop that low? For your information, it was your driver’s fault!” Jihyo argued, regaining her composure as she felt insulted with Mina’s claim.

“Sure, blame it on _my_ driver when it was clearly _you_ who hit our car!” Mina retorted.

“That wouldn’t have happened if _your_ driver hadn’t come in front of ours so quickly. It’s obviously _your_ fault!” Jihyo growled, walking away from Mina.

“Yeah, walk away now!” Mina screamed.

Dahyun and Tzuyu sighed at the two, apologising before approaching them to calm them down. How were either of them going to be able to work by each other’s side with this fundraiser? God help the staff of the event for what’s to come.

“Ma’am, we sorted out insurance details but I won’t be able to drive this car to _La Belle_.” Mina’s driver whispered.

“What do you mean?! I can’t be late!” Mina groaned.

“We can always ride with Miss Park.” Dahyun suggested, turning both of their heads towards their direction.

“No–”

“That will be fine.” Jihyo cut off Mina’s wishes. “A good suggestion Miss Dahyun.”

Dahyun blushed and bowed while Tzuyu could only feel agitated with the interaction. What was Jihyo doing?

“If this is another one of your plans–”

“I have no plans to ruin how you present yourself at _La Belle_. I’m not gaining anything out of this or thinking of manipulating the situation to turn it into my favour.” Jihyo halted Mina’s speech yet again. She was turning red from anger. “Is there anything else you’d like to assume?”

“No.” Mina mumbled, moving to the back seat of the car.

“Tzuyu, can you drive? I’m guessing Eugene would want to talk things out with the other driver.” Jihyo commanded, throwing the keys in her direction.

“You expect me to sit at the back with _you_?” Mina scoffed.

“Would you rather walk to _La Belle_?” Jihyo chuckled, looking out the window as Tzuyu drove to their destination. She heard Mina huff next to her but she remained quiet for the rest of the trip.

Jihyo could see the two girls at the front making small talk and she could easily notice how nervous Tzuyu was. Her stuttering and her exaggerated hand actions were present when they first met. Their eyes met through the rear mirror and Jihyo have her a thumbs up, effectively making her blush.

“Oh, are you okay?! You suddenly turned red!” Dahyun asked worriedly, touching Tzuyu’s cheek.

Jihyo was trying her best to keep in her laughter at the back and Tzuyu was about to kill her boss. This was all her fault in the first place!

“No, no. I’m fine Miss Dahyun.” Tzuyu mumbled, swatting Dahyun’s hand away. “We’re almost here.”

As soon as Tzuyu parked the car, Mina stepped out, dragging Dahyun along with her who wanted to say something to Tzuyu before she left. Tzuyu took the chance to shoot a glare at Jihyo, smacking her arm.

“What was that for?” Jihyo whined as she rubbed her arm. “I didn’t even say anything.”

“Your eyes and actions say a lot! Let’s go.” Tzuyu snickered, pushing Jihyo in front of her.

Jihyo hummed and walked ahead, mind wandering over to Mina and how she’d reacted earlier. It was clear that she was stubborn as they all say. She was stern but Jihyo would not have that kind of attitude around her when she worked. It was completely bratty. But then there’s the other side to her that she saw for a split second that makes Jihyo think that there’s so much more to Myoui Mina than what the world sees. For one, she’s absolutely beautiful and two, maybe there’s a part of her somewhere that is her true self – something she’s kept hidden away like herself.

“What are you thinking about? Miss Myoui, perhaps?” Tzuyu teased.

“Yes, like my mind is wandering off to that brat. Yours is probably filled with Dahyun. ‘ _No, no. I’m fine Miss Dahyun_ ’.” Jihyo mocked, making Tzuyu turn red.

“Stop teasing me!” Tzuyu whined.

“You started it.” Jihyo pointed out, making Tzuyu sigh in acceptance.

The two of them bickered for a little bit before they reached outside _La Belle’s_ main office. Mina was still standing outside with Dahyun as they got there and Jihyo wanted to laugh. What did Mina rush here for then? The meeting wasn’t for another few minutes anyway.

“Oh, you’re all here together. That’s brilliant! It’s great to see you so chum with each other. I’m sure the fundraiser will be great with the two most talented designers in the world.” The host greeted. “Please make yourself comfortable as we discuss things for the program.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: *waves* Hello everyone :D  
> I hope you like the start of the journey of these two CEOs (and their secretaries).
> 
> I'm honestly very hyped for this plot because the pairings are adorable (and rare).
> 
> This story is also up on AFF, which is why it might seem familiar.
> 
> Thank you for your support!  
> I hope you'll enjoy AYM~


	2. [002] - [will you catch a bus, myoui?]

“It’s great to finally meet the two of you. My name is Im Nayeon and this is my secretary Minatozaki Sana.” She greeted, Sana bowing as well. “I see that the two of you arrived together. It only pleases me that you are on good terms as we prepare for the event.

“Oh, we’re not–”

“Thank you for the honour.” Jihyo spoke up, cutting off Mina’s words before she continued her sentence. She knew the Japanese girl was glaring at her but she wasn’t going to falter.

She wasn’t going to ruin things for them, even if it meant pretending things were great between them.

“What did you two have planned for the show? I know that you wanted to put up your private collections on display on the runway.” Nayeon asked.

“There can always be an auction for one of the items.” Jihyo suggested.

“You mean, like one of your dresses? One per person?” Nayeon clarified, looking over to Mina for confirmation.

 “How much would that garner? That’s definitely not a good idea.” Mina denied, shaking her head.

“Well, each dress or outfit could go for thousands. This event is for a good cause. I’m sure that the crowd would be interesting in raising funds for it. Unless you have another idea?” Jihyo challenged.

Mina shot a glare at Jihyo as she argued with her. Admittedly, it was a brilliant idea but Mina just wanted to say no for the sake of it. When was she ever going to acknowledge that Jihyo had great ideas? Never.

Nayeon looked to Mina to see if she had anything to add to the suggestions for the fundraiser. “Would more people bid or would we benefit from holding a raffle?” Mina put forward.

“Hmm. Raffles are a great way to gain funds but the thing is that it’s not usually present in such high-class events.” Nayeon considered.

“We can always put one up for a raffle while the other goes on auction.” Jihyo offered.

“That would make it a mix of things and make it seem less informal.” Nayeon nodded, indicating for Sana to note things down beside her.

Why does Mina get so annoyed with Jihyo’s presence so easily? She’d so easily taken her side and even _agreed_ to her idea.

“I think we’re all set for the runway details then. Did you want to give your input in anything else for the show before I give my last suggestion?” Nayeon offered.

“Lighting and decorations are all set?” Mina questioned.

“Well, not yet. But we were on the way of organising that. Unless you two wanted to work on that too.” Nayeon asked.

“That would be a good experience, I believe.” Jihyo contemplated, looking to Mina for her acknowledgement. Mina grew flustered with the constant gaze on her but she cleared her throat, trying to gain her composure again.

“Then I’ll let you two girls sort that out. If you have any questions, or you need a hand, feel free to contact me.” Nayeon smiled, offering them her business card. “The venue has been set and you can head there whenever you want to.”

Both girls bowed and left the room, a grin present on Jihyo’s face as she thought about the possibilities of colours and set pieces for the hall. It was always a secret hobby of hers to decorate rooms and organise things.

“What are you smiling about?” Mina snickered, breaking her out of her daze.

Tzuyu stifled a laugh next to Jihyo and the CEO almost stepped on her food with her 3 inch heels for finding the situation funny in the first place.

“Why? Does it bother you?” Jihyo retorted, earning a scoff from Mina.

“It’s not a bother. I just don’t want you to be scheming more problems for this fundraiser than you have done already.” Mina responded coldly.

She wasn’t going to admit that the smile was drawing in a lot of onlookers who only gaped at how pretty she looked. Of course, Park Jihyo wasn’t pretty. What were all of these people seeing? Were they blind? (but she knew she was just lying to herself because she was just as stunned)

Jihyo sighed at the unsurprising attitude the other CEO held. Mina never failed to show what she thought of people. She knew how torturous this fundraiser was going to be, but she would hold on to it and not get trapped under Myoui Mina’s thumb. Jihyo noticed how quick she was to shoot down her idea back in the meeting room, but she wouldn’t be dealing with that kind of attitude when it came to organising the decorations and lights later on.

“Are you free now? We should head to the hall to have a look at the floor space and surroundings.” Jihyo asked, ignoring Mina’s dig at her intentions.

“I’m a very busy person–”

“There is no doubt you are. But how are you going to go anywhere else? Your driver is yet to arrive with your car. Will you catch a bus, Myoui?” Jihyo smirked, rendering Mina speechless.

Tzuyu and Dahyun exchanged an amused smile at their bosses’ interactions. The two of them were constantly trying to outshine the other and possibly – to make the other as angry and annoyed as they could.

“Is Wesley not done with the car yet?” Mina whispered to Dahyun.

“Nope. He said he’ll take some time.” Dahyun grinned as Mina sulked beside her. “Look, take this chance as a head start on your work together. You’ll have less piled up in the following week.” She encouraged, patting Mina’s back.

“You’re right.” Mina mumbled, nodding and turning back to Jihyo. “We’ll go.”

Jihyo smiled at the two girls and led them to the carpark where they’d arrived from. Tzuyu fell back into stride with Dahyun, leaving Mina by her side instead. Awkwardness was the only thing present in the air between them and neither of the two wanted to fix it. It was more along the lines of the fact that they didn’t know _how_ to.

As they could see it, both of their secretaries had immersed themselves in a deep conversation. And as Jihyo judged how enthusiastic Tzuyu was, she was sure it was about another one of those popular Korean dramas she keeps going on about. She never heard the end of those stories about the typical rich boy and poor girl falling in love with each other with parents or ex-lovers as the problem. How did the girl always have the latest smartphone, but everything else was tattered? Jihyo rolled her eyes at the plotline all the time. How did people watch them with so much enthusiasm? She was sure that people watched it for the lead couple rather than the actual plot. It beats her. She’d rather watch something like “The Punisher” instead.

“Do you have any idea what they’re talking about?” Mina whispered.

Honestly, Jihyo almost stopped in her tracks as the girl talked. She almost thought that she was hearing things. Was Myoui Mina asking her a question, rather than demanding something? Was she actually starting up a conversation with her instead of jumping to conclusions like she always did? Her voice was so low, she could’ve easily imagined it.

“Some drama, probably.” Jihyo answered as low as Mina did, just in case she _did_ hear things. She didn’t want to make a fool out of herself.

Mina nodded and refrained from making further conversations between them. God, it was so awkward. Why did the walk feel like it was never ending? Not to add that the two of them were going to have to sit next to each other throughout the ride to the hall as well.

Absentmindedly, Mina had walked on the main road. A car whizzed past her, but Jihyo pulled her away just in time, breathing heavily as she embraced the CEO. Her arms were firmly planted on her waist and Jihyo didn’t fail to hear the gasp that escaped Mina’s lips as she pulled her towards herself.

“Are you out of your mind?” Jihyo scolded. “Why are you walking on the road?!”

Simply shooting Jihyo a glare, Mina remained silent. She didn’t know how to react. She was almost run over by a car – she almost suffered a similar outcome to her parents. Where was her mind? She should be grateful for Jihyo.

“Why do you care where I walk?” Mina sneered. She _obviously_ wasn’t going to say thank you to Park Jihyo.

“Unbelievable.” Jihyo scoffed, walking ahead of Mina now. How could she turn bratty so quickly? It beat her. Would it kill her to say thank you? Maybe she should’ve just let it be.

But, she almost thought her heart was going to leave her chest when she’d seen that car approaching so speedily behind her. It was a split-second decision to pull her close to her. The car was travelling way too fast in a car park and that added to her reflexes. In a place like this, it was a rule to be travelling at 5km/h but that driver was clearly at least 20km/h over that limit. A chill ran up Jihyo’s spine as she thought of the possibility of not getting to Mina fast enough right then.

She couldn’t believe she’d tried to save that bratty woman’s life, but there was no point thinking about it any longer. The reaction was enough for her to read their situation.

The two secretaries stifled a string of curses at the tense atmosphere between their bosses. Just when they thought things were okay, the twenty-centimetre gap between them had turned into a metre.

“How are they going to even pass this?” Dahyun mumbled.

“On the bright side, they aren’t killing each other!” Tzuyu remained positive, making Dahyun chuckle.

“I wonder how long it’ll last. Let’s just wait to get to the hall. Mina is one picky person.” Dahyun shook her head.

“I’m sure it won’t be _that_ bad.” Tzuyu laughed.

“You saw them when we had the accident _and_ when we left the meeting room. I’m sure it’s going to be bad.” Dahyun sighed.

“But you’ll be there too. So, I know at least I won’t be having a bad time.” Tzuyu spoke bluntly, smirking as she spotted the blush that creeped up on Dahyun’s cheeks.

“H-hey!” Dahyun stuttered, left flustered as Tzuyu went on to open the door for the driver’s seat. She fanned her face, hoping it would cool down her tomato cheeks.

“Dahyun? Are you okay?” Mina suddenly asked, frowning as she looked over at Dahyun.

On the side, she could spot Jihyo and Tzuyu giggling together at something she couldn’t comprehend.

“Was it the secretary? Did she do something?” Mina suddenly got angry, gaining their attention.

“No–”

“Whatever you two are planning, _again_ , could you leave **my** secretary out of it?” Mina growled.

“What the hell are you talking about Myoui?” Jihyo frowned as she walked towards Mina.

“Stop. Trying. To. Sabotage. Me.” Mina seethed.

“I think you should hear your secretary out before you assume things, Myoui.” Jihyo smirked as she stood right in front of Mina, intimidating the Japanese woman.

She couldn’t help but feel insulted by the amount of times Mina claimed she was doing this for the sake of ruining things. Once would’ve been fine, but she kept throwing it in her face and it was nowhere near where her intentions laid. And then there was her argument against keeping Mina off the road when all she wanted to do was protect her from harm. She struggled to keep her composure as the anger seeped into her bones and travelled towards her head. Jihyo had to stay calm. She wasn’t one to blow up in public but she _really_ wanted to.

The air around the two of them suddenly felt a lot more tense and Mina was having trouble breathing in because Jihyo was everywhere around her. She wanted to wipe that smirk off her face, she wanted to push her away – she wanted to regain her composure.

“It’s okay.” Dahyun sighed, pulling Mina’s hand to explain what had happened. Her boss just remained flustered as she realised she’d made a mistake, again. She assumed things like she always does and now she’ll _have_ to say sorry.

“Tzuyu, let’s just go.” Jihyo demanded, ignoring Mina’s possible attempt at an apology as she inched forward.

Once they were all seated in the car, an uncomfortable silence settled in the surrounding atmosphere. No one wanted to speak because they were frightened of the brooding boss at the back, who was just staring out the window and ignoring everyone’s presence. Then, on the other side, Mina was gazing upon Jihyo’s figure, wondering what to do to solve the problem that she created. She knew she hit a nerve when Jihyo rescued her and she’d argued but she made things worse when Mina assumed yet _again,_ that she was up to no good.

You can’t really blame Mina for this.

Well, you _can_.

But technically, Mina was used to shutting everyone down around her. She didn’t like owing others. She retorted and pretended that she was superior because it was the only way to show that she had no weaknesses. Take it as a defence mechanism. If someone tries to get close to her, she’ll never think they have true intentions. She snaps at them and pretends that she’s too good for them, which successfully lets her off the hook – even if it ends up with a brooding woman.

“We’re here.” Tzuyu announced as she parked behind the large building they were given the address for.

The four girls gaped at the size of the stunning, multi-levelled hall. It could easily seat thousands of people inside. They really had their work cut out for them, unless Nayeon didn’t want to use the upper levels. Maybe a VVIP* section could be created for the upper levels instead.

Jihyo’s mind raced with ideas and plans for the event. All anger from before had disappeared and she was solely focused on this. She was excited and enthused for the planning, but she tried not to show it. She wasn’t _that_ experienced in organising events but she’d held a few of her own for smaller crowds. They hadn’t even chosen a theme for the charity fundraiser yet. Invitations should be sent out soon so they needed to consider ticket prices and the theme first.

Tzuyu and Dahyun left the two girls to discuss matters as they walked around the hall. It’s not like they could have much input into the planning and they’d much rather leave their bosses to do the task anyway. The two of them could just tour the place while details were being organised for the event.

Jihyo cleared her throat as soon as she noticed the departure of their secretaries. She gestured for Mina to have a seat, surprised that she listened to her immediately. Jihyo might have not realised it was obvious, but Mina found her excitement adorable. To make up for her poor attitude from earlier, she was going to pay attention and let Jihyo handle things (it sounded like it would be impossible in her head too, don’t worry). She was becoming soft after seeing this different side of Jihyo and she knows she shouldn’t. She was meant to be competitive and argue with everything that she was saying so that in the end, her own opinions could be heard and put into place for the event.

But each time she thought about how she wanted to put her foot down, she remembered the way she’d been treating Jihyo and guilt ate up at her immediately.

Damn her conscience!

“Your Primavera line – is it a certain theme…?” Jihyo asked hesitantly.

“It’s a mix. I plan out clothes per season.” Mina answered dutifully.

“So, since it’s winter time now, should we have that as our theme?” Jihyo suggested.

Mina frowned at the questions Jihyo was directing towards her. She was asking for her input more than Mina expected her to so maybe she could push her thoughts through.

“No.” Mina shook her head.

“No?” Jihyo’s eyes widened as she heard her response.

“So what if it’s winter time now, it doesn’t mean we have to follow on.” Mina argued.

“You’re telling me, that in winter, people are going to participate in bids and raffles for swimsuits or dresses?” Jihyo scoffed at her ridiculousness.

“Complimentary seasons would be a good idea!” Mina growled.

“Are you even listening to me? Do you want the attendees to not participate? Summer will be two seasons away from winter. Meaning, we’ll be giving them an insight into the fashion we have prepared way too early. At least, if we continue with a winter theme, they can think of purchasing items. If we release a summer line, there’s a high chance that the crowd won’t be pleased. As a line that is released about 6 months later, why would they be interested in looking at it now?” Jihyo sighed heavily as she explained her thoughts.

“But that’s the thing. They get to see a line of clothing, 6 months before it’s released! That should be exciting. It’s a good plan!” Mina reasoned.

“How about one line of winter and one line of summer?” Jihyo offered. Actually, Mina had a point there. It would make people more eager to look forward to the line in the future

Mina seriously contemplated Jihyo’s suggestion because her arguments were all valid. It would be good to meet in the middle with their ideas or else things would never get sorted for the fundraiser. You couldn’t expect Mina to say yes to all of Jihyo’s suggestions immediately without arguing a little bit. It would make her seem like she was a pushover – which she _definitely_ was not.

“I think that’s a good idea. A mix of two seasons would make it unique. It’s not a common theme for fundraisers and I think we can work around it.” Mina nodded, hearing a sigh of relief leave Jihyo’s lips.

“Well, at least we have a start.” Jihyo hummed.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *VVIP = Very, Very Important Person
> 
> *waves* I'm doing my best to write but sometimes I just can't get what I want to write into words.
> 
> I hope you liked this chapter!  
> Their bantering makes me laugh when I write it XD


	3. [003] - [where the hell are they?]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The end might be a little uncomfortable. I'm sorry if it feels weird to read, you can skip it if you'd like ^^

“Yes, that looks fine.”

“No, I agree – the change of position would work out well.”

Surprisingly, the secretaries noticed that both Jihyo and Mina worked well together while they finalised the preparations for the event. Dahyun and Tzuyu thought that they’d need to push in and break them apart because of how they were acting when they met, but the secretaries were relieved when they saw them _agreeing_ to ideas; it was a confusing sight.

“Myoui, how about placing the runway more towards the left. It feels like it’s closer to the right.” Jihyo commented as they stood in front of the makeshift runway.

“No. I think it’s perfect.” Mina shook her head, ignoring Jihyo’s suggestion.

“But you’d need to move your head awkwardly…” Jihyo tried to argue, sighing heavily as Mina just walked away, ignoring her comments.

Others might see that the two were getting along fine, but Jihyo was struggling to get her ideas through. She wanted to argue for what she liked but everything would go a lot smoothly if they reached middle ground. The middle ground was basically Jihyo accepting whatever Mina desired for the event. She knew the Japanese CEO was having the time of her life making sure the planning was to her desires and ideas. That annoying smirk was on her face each time Jihyo failed to do something and she wanted to erase it off as soon as she saw it.

Damn her pride, damn her weakness. Now she just wanted to see this fundraiser go well so that she could go back to a lifestyle without being agitated with the presence of Myoui Mina. She was so excited… it all faded away now. She couldn’t wait until the night ended and they’d finally _never_ see each other again. Jihyo just felt like she was talking to a brick wall. She was so infuriated by Mina’s presence.

“We’re done for now. Let’s meet at night.” Mina nodded at Jihyo as she left, Dahyun following her in confusion.

“Jihyo? Are you okay?” Tzuyu asked her as the two walked away.

“Mhmm. Just want this all to be over.” Jihyo answered, sighing as she headed towards their car where Eugene awaited them.

Tzuyu tilted her head, trying to observe her boss as she held her head in her hand in the back seat. She looked awfully tired, but Tzuyu was sure it wasn’t because of the preparations for the event tonight. Was it possible that the two CEOs weren’t actually getting along? Because it seemed like Jihyo was more frustrated to the bone and maintained a resigned aura. Myoui Mina must’ve gotten under her skin. She shook her head, not surprised; she’ll just let Jihyo close her eyes for a little while.

Jihyo’s eyes fluttered open automatically as the driver pulled up to her place. She thanked him, asking Tzuyu to follow her.

“I have to go back to get my outfit for the night.” Tzuyu mumbled as she led Jihyo inside her home.

“I already got something for you. It would be easier getting dressed in one place. Just call Eugene once we’re done.” Jihyo demanded, padding away to her room, leaving Tzuyu alone.

Now, she was really worried about her boss. She seldom acted this way unless she was feeling really angry with herself and spending her time deep in thought about something that went wrong.

Tzuyu headed to the kitchen, making Jihyo a cup of camomile tea before heading towards Jihyo’s room to hand it over to her. Her boss had her back to the door but acknowledged Tzuyu when she came in, offering a small smile when she saw the tea in her hands. She knew Tzuyu wouldn’t push to ask because she probably already had an inkling of why she was acting this way.

She honestly didn’t know why she was so riled up herself. Mina had crawled inside her veins and aggravated her to such an extent that she didn’t think was possible. Maybe it was the fact that she wanted to plan such an event before or maybe it was that she saw part of her mother in Mina – that caused her to remember how her father had changed after the divorce. After all, she was stern and always voiced her opinion. Her father almost always let her do whatever she liked because he hated arguing. Though, despite that sternness, her mother was secretly a kind soul.

That was something she didn’t see in Mina at all.

“It’s Miss Myoui, isn’t it?” Tzuyu asked, the silence giving her the answer that she needed.

“I don’t know why I’m like this. I shouldn’t be like this. I always looked at the good things behind family. But now I’m only seeing the negative. It angers me that because of one person, I’m starting to let doubts cloud my mind.” Jihyo answered with frustration.

“You’re telling me, that you’ve never had any kind of doubt in your mind over the past few years? When you wanted to pitch to a new company? Or approach idols for sponsorship? Doubt is always around you. While the presence is there, it doesn’t mean we should dwell on them. Like you’ve always done, override the doubt with positivity. Think about the good things. Focus on them. Don’t let it affect you when you can beat it.” Tzuyu encouraged, satisfied with the reignition of the fire in Jihyo’s eyes.

Jihyo nodded, reaching over to give Tzuyu a hug for her words. She was always there to set her back on the right track whenever she felt like she was about to fall apart because of her own thoughts. Tzuyu chuckled, teasing Jihyo by trying to squeeze out of her hug. She got a laugh out of Jihyo who only groaned as she nudged her.

“LET ME HUG YOU.” Jihyo shouted, making Tzuyu wince.

“If you don’t make me deaf first.” Tzuyu muttered.

“Ha-ha. Very funny Chou Tzu.” Jihyo snickered as she pulled away from the hug.

“Now start getting ready. We have to be there shortly. And you have to be there earlier because you’re one of the VVIPs for the night.” Tzuyu informed, patting Jihyo’s head before she left the room.

Jihyo glanced at the dress that lay on her bed, covered with a dust protector. She’d personally gone out to pick that out, alongside Tzuyu’s outfit for the night. She liked rewarding her secretary occasionally – it was the least she could do for all the effort that Tzuyu puts in to make sure Jihyo was always well and working diligently.

An hour later, Jihyo was ready and waiting for Tzuyu by the door of her home. She’d already gone ahead and called Eugene and he’d be here soon for their departure. She, herself, felt a little aware in her dress for the night. It was a black body hugging dress that had a slit running up her thigh. Jihyo had an extra coat to hide that though – and it was very chilly outside.

“Tzuyu, are you ready yet?” Jihyo called out.

“One moment. I’ll be down!” Tzuyu answered, arriving as quick as she said she would be.

Jihyo smiled as she saw Tzuyu, earning a slap on her shoulder from her staring. Tzuyu blushed at the attention and groaned when Jihyo wolf-whistled at her appearance.

“I’m sure someone will have a hard time keeping their eyes off you tonight.” Jihyo teased, making Tzuyu’s eyes widen.

“Hey! Stop teasing me. No one will stare at me.” Tzuyu huffed, crossing her arms.

“Well, if you do something about it, I’m sure that someone will. I’ll bet on the fact that you’ll have a pair of jealous eyes watching you all night.” Jihyo smirked as Eugene pulled up in their driveway. “Trust me. You’ll have _everyone_ flocked around you.”

“Whatever.” Tzuyu muttered.

“Psht. You’re only reacting this way because you just want one person around you.” Jihyo scoffed, sitting at the back with Tzuyu.

“Stop it!” Tzuyu whined. Jihyo laughed at the urgency laced in her voice but agreed, remaining silent for the rest of the ride.

Hopefully the events they prepared for the night would go well. She prayed that people participated in the auction and the raffle set for later. Jihyo drummed her fingers against the handle for her door out of nervousness. Most things were prepared by Mina so why was she so anxious about everything. If anything went wrong, it would be her fault, not Jihyo’s.

Nayeon greeted Jihyo with a smile as soon as she walked through the doors of the hall. She thanked her for the organising, commending her for a job well done. Jihyo nodded, not really able to take credit for the setup to full extent.

“Miss Park, it’s an honour to meet you! I heard you were one of the organisers for the event today. It’s admirable that you chose such a touching cause. Everything looks great!” An attendee complimented as he approached Jihyo.

“Thank you, Mr Lee. I hope you enjoy the night.” Jihyo replied, shaking the man’s hand as she headed towards the bar.

Tzuyu arrived next to her moments later looking very flushed and annoyed. Jihyo frowned upon the sight, noticing the redness around her wrist.

“Tzuyu?” Jihyo approached her with concern.

“Just the usual idiotic drunk men.” Tzuyu whispered viciously. “He wouldn’t let go of my hand until Nayeon’s secretary arrived to help me.”

“Stay by my side from now, okay? Don’t go on your own. Unless you know the person.” Jihyo frowned, asking for ice for Tzuyu’s wrist.

“I feel uncomfortable with all the people staring.” Tzuyu sighed, sitting down on a chair near her boss.

Jihyo shook her head, shrugging out of her coat and placing it around Tzuyu’s shoulders. She didn’t want her to go through anything else for the rest of the night. The guys who were looking at her like vultures could keep their eyes on something else.

“Wait, no. You can’t give this to me Jihyo. You need it–”

“It’s fine, Tzuyu. It’ll only be a short while before we’ll be seated.” Jihyo smiled, patting Tzuyu’s shoulder. “Actually, where the hell is Myoui?” She growled, realising the co-planner hadn’t arrived to the venue yet.

“Maybe just traffic.” Tzuyu shrugged.

“Tzuyu, it would take her ten minutes to get here. There would be no traffic in her direction.” Jihyo muttered. “Do you have Dahyun’s number?”

Tzuyu blushed and nodded, hoping Jihyo wasn’t about to start teasing her again. She always started doing that at the wrong time.

“Call her and check where they are. They need to be here ASAP.” Jihyo demanded.

Just as they were discussing her whereabouts, Nayeon walked to Jihyo with a frown on her face.

“Miss Park, do you have any idea where Miss Myoui is? I haven’t spotted her by your side at all.” Nayeon asked, voice laced with agitation.

Should she lie and protect Mina? Or go with the truth and basically throw Mina under the bus, leaving her to suffer Nayeon’s possible wrath…

“She’s doing some last-minute work Miss Nayeon. I apologise.” Jihyo lied. “She’ll arrive shortly.”

“Alright, that’s fine with me. Is your secretary also alright? I heard from Sana that she was dealing with an indecent client. We showed him to the exit.” Nayeon looked over to Tzuyu.

“She has an ice pack on her wrist. She’ll be by my side all evening. Thank you for the concern.” Jihyo nodded, thanking Nayeon for her worry.

“That’s a great idea Miss Jihyo. I’ll leave you to it then. Thank you for greeting everyone at the entrance. We’ll start the show shortly.” Nayeon smiled, patting Jihyo’s shoulder before walking away.

“Tzuyu, where the _hell_ are they.” Jihyo glowered. She just lied to the organiser for the sake of that brat and she hoped it wasn’t going to come back to bite her.

“Dahyun said something about car problems.” Tzuyu mumbled.

“Oh, for god’s sake. Send Eugene to their place. Why didn’t they contact someone about this?!” Jihyo groaned, placing her face in her hands.

“You did the right thing.” Tzuyu chuckled, calming Jihyo down.

Ten minutes later, Mina arrived at the venue, Dahyun in tow. The two of them were breathing heavily, searching for Jihyo and Tzuyu.

“Don’t forget to thank her and apologise.” Dahyun whispered as they approached the two girls. Her eyes immediately landed on the ice pack that rested on Tzuyu’s wrist, worry bubbling up in her chest. What had happened?

Dahyun almost ran and sat beside Tzuyu, frowning as she asked her what had happened. She carefully cradled Tzuyu’s wrist, observing it for swelling or bruising, glad to see neither of those. Tzuyu blushed at the treatment from Dahyun, feeling very shy all of a sudden. Dahyun was way too gentle with her touch.

Jihyo was basically glaring at Mina, but she kept her stoic front, not cracking under the gaze. There was no doubt that Jihyo was fuming. Her damn pride was so big, she almost said no to getting in the car with Eugene. But, they didn’t have a choice. They were running short on time and their own car wasn’t starting, still recovering from the accident.

“Look, I’m–”

“Save it, Myoui. I’ve already had to lie for your absence. Next time, please be more prepared. The show will be starting soon. Table number one on the upper level is our table. You can head there now.” Jihyo cut Mina off, refusing to hear her out.

Mina frowned with the treatment, surprised with her behaviour after working with her all week. She guessed it was warranted; she ignored almost all of Jihyo’s suggestions within this week and now she was regretting her behaviour. It all added up to make things worse. She had wanted to apologise but it seemed like Jihyo was angry, no – furious with her; more than she expected. How was she meant to say anything to her at this rate? She bit her lip in worry but followed Jihyo’s instructions to head upstairs.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please have a seat while we start the program.” Nayeon spoke at the podium.

The front doors closed and Jihyo headed to her table. Tzuyu had left with Dahyun and Mina because Dahyun wanted to make sure she was okay. Jihyo chuckled at her protectiveness while Tzuyu remained silent – too flustered to speak.

The secretaries were sneaky enough to leave an empty spot next to Mina for Jihyo. She glared at Tzuyu but received a shrug in response, moving her attention to Nayeon speaking at the podium.

“We’d like to start with the special winter runway collection by Park Jihyo’s line, _Chanson D'amour.”_ Nayeon spoke out to the crowd. “We will be holding a special bidding for one outfit out of this line at the end of the night!”

Jihyo smiled at the reactions the crowd was giving towards her line. Satisfied smirks and deep conversations as they looked at her outfits made her proud. She welcomed critique with open hands. Mina looked intrigued by Jihyo as she observed her reaction. It was heart-warming to see. She was surprised with her own thoughts, shaking her head to clear her mind. What was she thinking? That definitely didn’t show what Jihyo was like… or did it? Ah, her mind was a mess now all because of how mad Jihyo was when she’d arrived today.

Dahyun still occasionally glanced at Tzuyu to check if she was okay. When Tzuyu told her what had happened, she wanted to push her fist into that guy’s face that dared to hurt her. Tzuyu had only laughed at her, pushing her back down as she tried to explain between her laughter that the guy was gone. She’d never blushed so hard out of embarrassment. But, Tzuyu made it worth it by squeezing her hand and whispering a soft thank you in her ears.

Mina’s line followed Jihyo’s and she was glad that people were reacting well to it despite it being from an opposite season. She nodded as she saw some faces filled with awe and surprise. It was a good idea to do opposite seasons. It reminded her of how the public views both herself, and Jihyo – opposites.

A break for dinner and dessert was called before the bidding and raffle winner announcement. Jihyo sighed, massaging her neck from looking at the runway due to the odd angle. She noticed a few other VVIPs doing the same and she wondered if Mina realised that. She turned her gaze to Mina, noticing that she wasn’t at the table. Jihyo rolled her eyes and got up, deciding to go for a walk instead. Mina had the habit of disappearing at weird times – maybe she just went to get dinner.

Why was Jihyo thinking about her in the first place? She let out a huff of frustration. She should go and get a drink from the bar to settle her uneasiness. Jihyo was crossing a secluded hallway when she picked up on loud grunts. It sounded more like a scuffle and a lot of groaning. No one could possibly be doing something… right? She frowned but followed the sound, curiosity getting the better of her.

“Let me go!”

“Come on, I know you want to go.”

“What part of no don’t you understand?”

Jihyo heard more grunting and couldn’t let things go any further. Tzuyu had already dealt with a drunkard earlier and now another girl was being harassed. She barged into their sight, masking her surprise when she saw Mina. Her eyes were watering and she looked distraught. The guy had her pinned to the wall, arm holding on to Mina’s tightly as if he was about to pull her again.

“You should just walk away and pretend you didn’t see anything.” The guy chuckled, glancing over at Jihyo.

“Well, I’m sorry I won’t be able to do that.” Jihyo muttered.

In three strides, she crossed over to the two of them, kicking the harasser’s knee, loosening his grip on Mina’s hand. She proceeded to pull his hand back, a howl of pain erupting from his throat.

“You get away from this place right now, before I call the damn police!” Jihyo growled, letting the guy run away as he held his hand.

She glanced over at Mina who remained huddled on the ground, shivering from fear. Her dress was torn at the top and she was shaking terribly. Jihyo approached her slowly, glad that she picked up her coat from her table before she came. She wrapped it tightly around Mina’s shoulders.

“Mina?” Jihyo called out softly.

Her heart stopped in place when Mina looked up at her, fear evident in her eyes. Jihyo never thought she’d see Mina like this; powerless. Before she could suggest it, Mina jumped into her arms, sobbing uncontrollably – this was definitely not the Mina everyone saw. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: *waves* hello everyone!  
> I hope you like this update ^^  
> Mina is slowly breaking away from her character .-.  
> There's so much more I wanted to write in this chapter because I was really motivated!  
> I guess you guys will have to wait until the next chapter xP


	4. [004] - [why did you do that?]

As surprised as she was by the sudden hug, Jihyo could do nothing but console Mina. Her mind blanked out – what was she doing? Why was she here? How did she know that Mina wasn’t trying to sabotage her this time? Mina was the _enemy_. But, when she’d seen her in the situation right there, rational thoughts were thrown out and she’d just wanted to protect her in that instant, just like she did at the carpark. It was so automatic for her to go forward to protect Mina first and it drove her mad. She was no knight in shining armor.

Mina was the one who was treating her like crap and trying to agitate her. Why did Jihyo’s control get thrown out of the window when she should have had it in check. The fear that she saw in Mina’s eyes was something that she’d never ever seen in her entire life. There was fragility and weakness in there. She was hiding that part of her so well, no one could ever tell there was another side to Myoui Mina. Yet, Mina had showed her that side. She, herself, had hugged Jihyo first.

Jihyo knows she shouldn’t get ahead of herself. If someone else had saved her, Mina would have most likely ended up in their arms. But there was also the possibility that no one would have realised. The possibility that Jihyo had not gone that way… the situation would have been completely different. She got there in the nick of time, just before things escalated and she was glad. She was glad she saved the brat that was sobbing in her arms, as annoying as she always was with her.

Mina’s sobbing had slowly eased and she pulled back, deep blush spreading across her cheeks. She couldn’t believe she had been crying in Jihyo’s arms just moments ago. She was so gentle with her – it was driving the guilt inside of her to new heights. She still hadn’t apologised for her behaviour and thanked her for sending the car, and now she had this too. Mina shuddered again as she remembered how the man had pulled her into the corridor, away from everyone else.

She knew better than anyone that he was sent by her brother. What was he thinking? To kidnap Mina in the middle of the night? The scary thing is that it would’ve actually worked if Jihyo hadn’t come in the middle of things and rescued her. Jihyo… the way she advanced so quickly to close the gap between them… and her quick moves to get his grip off Mina… she was still trying wrap her head around the fact that Jihyo had done that for _her._ She chased someone away because of Mina.

“Jihyo.” Mina called out softly.

“Hmm?” Jihyo nodded, pulling Mina up to stand.

“Why did you that?” Mina asked.

“Why not? I do not wish an ill fate for you Myoui.” Jihyo shook her head, creating distance between them as she moved to head inside.

“Wait!” Mina shouted. Jihyo froze, turning her gaze towards her slowly. “Thank you. And I’m sorry.”

Jihyo nodded, directing Mina to go inside by guiding her with her hand. She could tell the girl was still shaken from the encounter so Jihyo placed her arm around her shoulder. She pulled her closer to her whenever she’d see men walk by Mina’s side. She could see her flinch each time she’d notice a man was staring at her. Jihyo seated Mina at their table, kneeling down next to her to double check if she had any injuries. Dahyun and Tzuyu couldn’t be spotted anywhere and she didn’t want to leave Mina on her own to get some ice packs.

She pulled out her phone, calling Tzuyu and telling her to come to her with an ice pack. Minutes later, Tzuyu and Dahyun arrived at their table, ice with them. They looked concerned but hesitated to ask what had happened. Jihyo wrapped the ice in a towel, carefully placing it over Mina’s wrist. She really couldn’t understand how this could have happened twice in one night. Unlike Tzuyu’s, Mina’s wrist had a dark bruise where the man had gripped her. Jihyo gently blew on the area as she iced her, unaware of Mina’s gaze on her.

Tzuyu and Dahyun shared a smile as they watched the interaction. Despite the terrible circumstance, it had brought the two CEOs closer. Jihyo was treating Mina so carefully, it was so weird to see. The usual shouting and glaring not being present made a huge difference. They could even see a hint of a smile on Mina’s lips, a turnaround from her mood from before. Jihyo’s carefulness made her shy or was it embarrassment – either way, it was cute to see them.

They were so into the incident, that they’d forgotten about the bidding and the raffle. Nayeon’s announcement of the winner of the raffle made the two remember and they leaned over to lucky people. Jihyo didn’t know how much her outfit went for, but she hoped it was a lot – for the sake of the cause at least. They’d drawn a large crowd so ticket prices would’ve accumulated quite some money too. Things hadn’t turned out so bad for the fundraiser after all. It seemed like they could it a success.

“I’d like to call the people behind the fundraiser to the stage! Please welcome Park Jihyo and Myoui Mina to the stage.” Nayeon announced, surprising Jihyo. Mina looked at her sheepishly but indicated for her to go ahead.

“You knew about this?” Jihyo asked Mina as they stood up.

“I know you wanted to talk to the crowd. The least I could do was ask Nayeon to give you some time to talk to them.” Mina muttered. 

Her guiltiness had pushed her to do something and she was glad. The smile on Jihyo’s face was enough for her brain to settle down, but not her heart. It seemed to have the opposite effect on her heart, speeding up rapidly instead.

“Are you going to be okay up there?” Jihyo frowned as she glanced at Mina’s wrist.

“Hmm? Yeah. I’ll be on the side anyway.” Mina nodded, hiding her wrist.

Jihyo contemplated her words but continued to walk to the stage, acknowledging the crowd as she stood on the podium. Nayeon smiled at her as she moved to the stage encouraging her to continue talking.

“Hello, ladies and gentlemen.” Jihyo greeted, voice slightly shaky. 

She wasn’t used to talking in microphones in front of big crowds. She took a deep breath and continued, feeling herself gain more confidence slowly. 

“I’d like to thank you all for attending this fundraiser today. Your presence is greatly valued for the cause of hosting this event for the night. It means a great deal for us that you took time out to come here tonight, so thank you. I’d also like to invite my co-planner for the night. Please give a hand to Myoui Mina.” Jihyo started, biting back a smile at the surprised expression on Mina’s face.

Mina blushed as she made her way to the stage, looking at Jihyo in confusion. Didn’t she want the stage to herself? Why was she inviting Mina as well?

“Tonight’s event would be unsuccessful without the help of Miss Myoui. She ensured everything was organised until the last minute. I’m grateful to be given the chance to organise this event by her side, even if there were some bumps along the way. It was a lovely experience. Thank you, Miss Im, for letting us participate in the organisation of this event.” Jihyo thanked, moving off the podium for Mina.

The fellow CEO could see the sincerity in Jihyo’s eyes and she felt overwhelmed with her words. She was really changing the way Mina thought about everything so quickly. She wasn’t selfish, she wasn’t unkind, she didn’t just think of herself. Mina had no idea she’d be taking her words back so soon.

“Thank you, Miss Park.” Mina nodded, breathing softly as Jihyo squeezed her shoulder before moving to stand behind her. “I am very grateful for all of you for attending this event tonight. I had high hopes for this event and it feels amazing that they’ve been accomplished. You all took time out to come here today, thank you. Miss Im, this was an event I was thrilled to work on – thank you for letting us partake in the process. Also… Miss Park, thank you for _everything_.” She finished, moving back on shaky feet.

It was Jihyo’s time to stare at her in confusion. That was a meaningful thank you from Mina. She sighed, not wanting to think deeply about her words and walked forward to guide Mina off the stage. She was acting more like a partner of Mina’s rather than an enemy… why were things like this between them? The situation she caught Mina in affected Jihyo more than she wanted to let on and Mina wasn’t being a brat either – that confused Jihyo.

But what was she to expect when someone went through something so traumatising. She was stupid to even ask her to come in and talk in front of the crowd. Mina was probably terrified of standing there and Jihyo had encouraged her to come forward. How stupid! Sometimes she really doesn’t think before she speaks. Damn her brain.

The event came to a close and Jihyo stood by Mina the entire time as attendees came to thank them for the effort and the program for the night. Nayeon came by with Sana last with a worried look on her face.

“I’m really sorry for the way both you, Miss Myoui and Miss Chou were treated tonight. I had no idea things would escalate to such extents and I’m really apologetic for their behaviour.” Nayeon apologised.

“You have no need to apologise Miss Im. Intoxication can cause a lot of things we aren’t able to control, shamefully.” Jihyo shook her head.

“Nonetheless, I want to treat the four of you to something, please. You did a really good job with everything. Even though my neck feels a little stiff with turning to the runway so much, it was lovely.” Nayeon complimented.

Jihyo sent a knowing smirk to Mina, who only glared in response. The ‘I told you so’ was written all over her face. Okay, she regretted that one the most, but it still turned out well! She actually regretted not listening to a lot more of Jihyo’s words but you didn’t hear it from her. Mina would never let those words leave her mouth.

“That’s my fault. I misinterpreted the distance.” Mina apologised, offering a sheepish smile.

“It’s alright. What matters is that you finished it well. Your bidding was successful and the raffle went smoothly. You two worked hard.” Nayeon cheered, clapping for the two girls.

Dahyun and Tzuyu stood behind their CEOs, clapping for them. Indeed, the two had finished things off well, even though they had their misunderstandings. They knew that the two of their bosses were confused all night. Both were acting differently ever since Jihyo had been nursing Mina’s injury.

“How is your hand?” Dahyun whispered to Tzuyu.

“I don’t feel a thing anymore. Must be your magical hands.” Tzuyu teased, chuckling as Dahyun turned red.

“It’s chilly outside, right? You can keep my jacket on you.” Dahyun muttered, changing the subject.

What had happened earlier was that Dahyun had noticed many eyes on Tzuyu. Who wouldn’t be, with such a low-cut dress that showed off her beautiful body proportions. She glared at everyone who dared to stare at the beauty by her side, which didn’t end up working well. Tzuyu was swarmed with people at one point and Dahyun had enough. She had pulled the jacket off her chair and walked over to Tzuyu, grabbing a grinning Tzuyu away from the group of people. 

She basically forced Tzuyu to wear the jacket, saying that ‘too many ugly people are staring at a beautiful girl’. Of course, Tzuyu had been cheeky and made Dahyun groan with a simple ‘good thing you don’t fit into that criteria’. She could be smooth when she wanted to and she’d succeeded when it came to Dahyun. It was a good thing Jihyo hadn’t heard that or else she would never hear the end of it from her. Dahyun also didn’t leave her alone for a single second the entire night. It was adorable, really.

“Don’t you need it then? It’s going to be cold outside.” Tzuyu asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No. You need it.” Dahyun huffed, ignoring Tzuyu’s suggestion.

The two of them waited for Nayeon to finish talking to their bosses before Tzuyu called Eugene to pick them up. After all, he was the one who dropped everyone to the event. Though, it was going to be a tight fit if they all travelled back together so Eugene was coming with another driver so that he could just drop the car and leave. Meaning, Tzuyu was going to be driving. But, knowing Dahyun and her protectiveness, she won’t be letting Tzuyu drive so maybe it’ll be Jihyo this time. Either way, the four of them will be travelling home together.

“Tzuyu, did you call Eugene?” Jihyo asked as she finished talking to Nayeon. She didn’t miss the smile and encouraging squeeze of the hand she’d given her secretary. It was awfully adorable.

“Yes, Miss Park. He’ll be here shortly with Serri and she’ll be driving home with him.” Tzuyu nodded.

“Thanks, Tzuyu. Are you feeling okay?” Jihyo frowned in worry.

“Don’t worry about me. I had some pleasant hands massaging me.” Tzuyu grinned, making Dahyun cough uncontrollably next to her.

Jihyo chuckled, getting the message as Mina could only worry about her secretary who had turned redder as the minutes passed by.

“Tease her a little less, would you? She looks like she’ll turn into a tomato.” Jihyo shook her head, patting Dahyun’s shoulder.

A beep outside broke the comical atmosphere and they all headed towards it. Eugene greeted them, handing over the keys to Tzuyu before he left with Serri. Tzuyu was about to sit in the driver’s seat when Dahyun grabbed the keys off her, mumbling about insanity. She made sure Tzuyu was sitting in the front seat before sitting in the driver’s seat herself. Jihyo ushered Mina to the back seat, sliding in next to her carefully.

“Who to drop first?” Dahyun asked, turning to face the passengers of the car.

“Tzuyu.” Jihyo answered straightforwardly. “Tzuyu and then you. I’ll need to drive the car back.”

Her demands were definitely not because she wanted more time with Mina. Why would she want to spend more time with her after the entirety of today? Jihyo cleared her throat as Tzuyu smiled at her from the side mirror of the car. Mina was blushing in the seat next to Jihyo but hid herself well. She was turning soft too fast. All because Jihyo had saved her. She screamed in her mind, annoyed with her behaviour. Myoui Mina didn’t let things get to her this easily! Why did Jihyo have this effect on her?!

“Address?” Dahyun asked Tzuyu as she started driving.

The two secretaries engaged themselves in small talk as they drove to their destination. The back seat was way too awkward between the occupants and maybe a part of Jihyo was regretting not getting dropped off first. A short fifteen minutes later, Dahyun had parked in Tzuyu’s driveway, asking if she could drop her to her door.

Tzuyu nodded, and walked out, wishing everyone in the car a good night before climbing up the stairs to her front door. Dahyun followed up right behind her acting quickly as Tzuyu stumbled on a rock in her path. Tzuyu couldn’t help the embarrassment as Dahyun chuckled next to her.

“You didn’t have to walk me to the door.” Tzuyu muttered.

“What kind of person would I be, if I didn’t drop a gorgeous woman to her door? It’s the least I can do.” Dahyun confessed, walking by Tzuyu’s side until they stood outside her door.

“Thank you… Dahyun. For tonight. You being there for me meant a lot.” Tzuyu bit her lip as she contemplated what she wanted to do.

Screw it.

She leaned forward, pressing her lips against Dahyun’s cold cheek, turning her red. Dahyun smiled, waving at Tzuyu before heading back to the car with the biggest smile on her face. She held a hand to her cheek as she sat inside, earning confused glances from the remaining two passengers. She grinned at them too before she drove off to her own home.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay to drive?” Dahyun asked when they reached her home.

“Yes, we’ll be fine. Don’t worry. How about Miss Myoui will message you when she arrives? Will that be better?” Jihyo suggested, earning a nod from Dahyun.

She waved goodbye, leaving Jihyo and Mina. They moved to the front and Jihyo asked for her address, entering it in her GPS. The two of them remained silent as she drove.

“I know… it’s hard to believe.” Mina suddenly muttered.

“Hmm? What was that?” Jihyo said, unable to hear Mina.

“I know it’s hard to believe when I say that I’m sorry or that I’m thankful. But, I really mean it. I’ve been acting out of line with you throughout this entire time. I judged you incorrectly and mistreated you. It may sound weird that I’m apologising, but I mean it from the bottom of my heart. If… you hadn’t come to me in time… I don’t know what would have happened. I owe a lot to you.” Mina apologised, fiddling with her fingers as a distraction. “I’m glad I got the chance to work on this fundraiser with you because it made me see another side of you.”

“Another side?” Jihyo frowned.

“I always thought you didn’t care about anyone around you…” Mina sighed, apologising again.

“How about we take this chance and start fresh?” Jihyo suggested nervously. Was she in the right mind? One week of dealing with torture and being excited to _never seeing her again_ turned into this?

“That would be nice.” Mina answered, offering a smile

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mina apologising? Who would've thought XP


	5. [005] - [a privilege of being a friend of park jihyo's?]

The conversation from the night before still echoed in Jihyo’s mind. Maybe it was in the midst of all the emotions that caused the change – they were definitely heightened because of what both her secretary and Mina had gone through. What if Mina went back to being her usual self, forgetting that the conversation had happened? What if she gets toyed with…? She suggested a fresh start because Mina’s words had touched her when she apologised. She really hoped that she didn’t make the biggest mistake of her life.

Admittedly, going back to work after a whole week of organising the event with Mina was hard to get used to. She had to make decisions and choices which she hadn’t been given a chance to do the week before and she was thrown off balance. Even Tzuyu gave her a weird look when she asked her workers for their opinion on a plan of hers.

“Are you alright Jihyo?” Tzuyu asked as they walked back into her office.

“I am. I think I forgot what it was like to make decisions.” Jihyo chuckled, sitting at her desk.

“Just one week with Miss Myoui and you’re already losing your touch with work.” Tzuyu teased.

“Don’t you have something you should be doing?” Jihyo huffed.

“Nope.” Tzuyu grinned.

“Go talk to Dahyun, then. I know you’ve been talking to her.” Jihyo turned the tables, making Tzuyu blush.

“Don’t turn this around on me!” Tzuyu whined. “There was a black envelope addressed to you in the mail so I placed it on your desk. I think it’s from Miss Im.” She pointed out, walking out of the room.

“Tell Dahyun I said hi!” Jihyo called out, chuckling as she searched for the envelope on her table.

Was it the reward she was talking about? Jihyo carefully opened the envelope, slipping her finger under the creases to tear it open. Inside it lay an invitation to a retreat for five days. Weren’t retreats for wellbeing and a “reboot” for the mind and soul? Was Nayeon lowkey saying that she needed this?

Jihyo chuckled as she read it, sighing as she realised that there was a handwritten note placed on the back of the invitation.

_Say, I know I could sense something between Tzuyu and Dahyun._  
But you and Mina seemed more tense.  
So, I’m sorry – I hope you don’t mind but it was easier getting honeymoon room he-he.  
You and Mina are rooming together.  
Enjoy your time. I know it’s probably the last thing you wanted.  
You guys are always busy with work and rarely take leave.  
Take this chance as my thank you and a break!  
x I.N

Jihyo groaned when she finished reading the note, slamming her head onto her desk. Damn that woman and her sneaky tactics. The date for the retreat was set for tomorrow so she really didn’t have a choice. She wondered if Mina received a personal note like she did or if it was just Jihyo.

She spun on her chair as she thought about the situation. After the week of torture and then saving her and professing that they were going to restart things between them, this was something that she didn’t know what to do about. How was she to act? What was she meant to say? Arguing with each other used to be easy but holding a proper conversation? That was a new experience.

Her phone rang out in the room, breaking her out of her thoughts. She turned around, picking it off the table and keeping it in between her shoulder and ear as she browsed over some paperwork.

“Hello?” Jihyo answered.

“Jihyo, Miss Myoui is on the phone. Would you like me to connect her through to you?” Tzuyu asked.

Jihyo muttered under her breath at the speed of which Mina had called her when she’d just opened the envelope herself.

“It’s fine if you don’t want to, I can tell her you’re in a meeting.” Tzuyu suggested.

“No, it’s fine Tzuyu. I’ll answer it. If she calls, there’s no reason to make excuses.” Jihyo denied, surprising Tzuyu on the other end.

“I’ll take it off hold then.” Tzuyu said, proceeding to transfer Mina’s call to Jihyo.

“Hello?” Mina’s soft voice spoke wafted into her ears.

“Hmm? Yes Myoui.” Jihyo responded.

“I thought we weren’t using last names.” Mina chuckled, a smile forming on Jihyo’s lips as she heard it.

“I like using Myoui. You can call me Jihyo permanently if you want to.” Jihyo explained.

“Right. Did you get an invitation for the retreat from Nayeon?” Mina asked.

“Mhmm. The black envelope that’s sitting on my table is right here.” Jihyo sighed.

“I’m mixed about going since work has been piling up… but did you want to go?” Mina nervously questioned.

“I think it would be a nice experience. And Tzuyu and Dahyun would be with us too so I think it’ll be a good idea.” Jihyo hummed.

Good idea? Just minutes ago Jihyo was asking herself about going and making up excuses in her head but as soon as Mina asked her, she said yes. Ah! God, she had no idea what it was but she wanted to get closer to Mina – there’s a sense of worry that builds up inside of her whenever she thinks of Mina. It’s weird, it really is. They were enemies for so long and they never met each other. But the one time they did, Jihyo’s mind exploded because for one, she’s so beautiful; two, she had a bad attitude towards her at the start; three, that disappeared when she was powerless; four, she actually apologised and five, she showed a side to her that was probably what she had been hiding for so long.

Knowing Mina was a whole series of ups and downs and Jihyo didn’t know what to make of it. When she met her, it was so obvious that Mina was a down to the point brat. But, that façade was slowly cracking, just enough to let Jihyo see a part of Mina that she did not think existed. That usual sneaky smirk that was always present on her face whenever photos were taken of her or her tone of superiority when she spoke at conferences – were any of those a true part Myoui Mina?

“Jihyo? Are you listening?” Mina called out for Jihyo’s attention.

“Hmm. Yes.” Jihyo acknowledged.

“I’ll meet you in front of the place tomorrow morning.” Mina informed.

“Did your driver finally get your car fixed?” Jihyo teased.

“Fortunately, yes. I just hope it won’t stop working while we’re on the way there.” Mina groaned.

“If you have any problems… you know you can call me, right?” Jihyo mumbled.

“Is that a privilege of being a _friend_ of Park Jihyo’s?” Mina laughed.

Firstly, Jihyo was stunned by the word _friend_ coming out of Mina’s mouth but then, it was by the sound of that laughter. It was pure and it was adorable. It secretly made her heart rate spike up (but keep that a secret). It was surely a sound to bask in, that was certain.

“It’s not a privilege. It’s just something I’d be willing to do for a friend in need.” Jihyo huffed.

“Alright. I’ll keep it with me for emergencies. I’ll see you tomorrow then.” Mina advised as she hung up the phone.

She knew a knock would be coming soon, followed by the entrance of her secretary. Tzuyu last knew that she was annoyed of Mina. Now, she was going on a retreat with her. As if on cue, there was a knock at the door and Tzuyu came in, confusion etched on her face.

“That was weird.” Tzuyu commented bluntly.

“When I dropped you and Dahyun last night, Mina and I had a talk on the way to dropping her to her place.” Jihyo started.

“A talk…?” Tzuyu confirmed.

“Yes, a talk. Normal conversation. Which sounds impossible, but it happened. She apologised.” Jihyo continued, biting back a laugh at Tzuyu’s shocked expression. “She apologised so I suggested we start fresh, as friends.”

“You suggested friendship…? With the one company out there that’s your biggest competitor.” Tzuyu asked for clarification.

 “Yes.” Jihyo nodded.

“How do you know she’s not trying to sabotage you like she always claimed that you did.” Tzuyu raised an eyebrow.

“Well, I’d ask you the same thing about Dahyun. I’m taking a risk and going along with this because I think that Mina was being truthful when she apologised and explained things to me about how she saw me. It’s a huge gamble – but things changed after I saw her with that man last night.” Jihyo groaned, putting her head in her hands.

“You feel protective… even though you don’t really know her. You saved her twice from harm already, I’m guessing it feels like you have a need to protect her?” Tzuyu contemplated.

“Mhmm. I feel like there’s something out there that’s chasing her. And that is bugging me. It bugs me that someone could possibly be wanting to hurt her when she probably doesn’t deserve it.” Jihyo said frustratedly.

“Alright then. Follow your heart.” Tzuyu smiled, patting Jihyo’s shoulder.

“And now… we’re going to be stuck on a retreat together.” Jihyo mumbled, passing the envelope to Tzuyu.

She could help the laughter that bubbled in her chest after reading Nayeon’s extra note at the back of the envelope. Tzuyu continued to laugh as Jihyo glared at her. 

“Well, at least you’ll get this chance to see her true intentions. I can’t believe you’re going from hating each other and fighting, to rooming with each other and being _soft._ ” Tzuyu teased.

“You know you’re coming too right.” Jihyo sighed.

“Yep. I’ll clear all your schedules for the next five days and have them rearranged for the following week.” Tzuyu nodded again, wishing Jihyo good luck as she left the room.

Jihyo hummed, getting back to her work. She was thinking that maybe, she could go and visit Mina later to check up on her about how she was feeling with the events from last night. Tzuyu immediately said no to taking leave and it seemed like Mina was on the same boat. She was off now, most likely going on a date with Dahyun. As for herself, she’d probably head over to Mina’s company after she was done with her work.

\---

Mina sat in her office thinking about whatever the hell had happened in the past twenty four hours of her life. She felt guilty for Jihyo, basically got molested by a guy because of her brother, was rescued by Jihyo, apologised for her wrongdoings, remained close to her all night, was officially friends with Jihyo and was driven home by her. So many events that made her brain want to explode.

She honestly never expected Jihyo to even suggest friendship after the history between the two of them. Their enmity and the constant fighting was a clear indication of what their relationship was like – it was purely hate. They hated each other’s existence for the sole reason that they were the biggest competitors on the market.

Mina didn’t know what came over her when she spoke her heart out in the car when she was being driven home. Maybe it was the fact that she didn’t want Jihyo to see her so negatively anymore. She was so used to pushing everyone out and making sure no one saw her weaknesses. The one person who shouldn’t have seen her at her low point was the one who saw her.

She was scared for her life when the man had pulled her away but she panicked more when Jihyo had found her behind the building of the fundraiser. The first thing she thought about was the possibility of her getting stuck into her mess just because she walked in on it. But, Jihyo had handled it so well that Mina was left overwhelmed with the fact that her life had been saved by her enemy.

What came over her mind then? She didn’t know. But she just felt like she needed to hug someone – her saviour – when that happened. Mina was shocked with her own actions and she wouldn’t have been surprised if Jihyo shrugged her off and used it as a weapon against her. But, instead, Jihyo had just calmed her down and returned the embrace. She didn’t mention a word about what happened back there. She immediately went on protective mode and nursed her injury.

And that sight was something she’d never erase.

She protected her enemy.

Jihyo saved Mina and then took care of her. Nothing else triggered her guilt as much as seeing her work her hardest to make sure Mina was okay. She was gentle with her, making sure she was okay the entire night – even offering her jacket to cover Mina when Tzuyu was telling her not to do it; she was going to find something for her. But Jihyo shook her head and kept her jacket on Mina, protecting her dignity so the crowd wouldn’t question her.

It was the one night that changed Mina’s entire view of Jihyo. Her own perceptions of her were thrown out of the window because she’d been treated with so much care by her, it was enough to shatter the image she created of Jihyo.

The side that Jihyo saw of her, was buried in so deep – she didn’t think anyone saw that side of her other than Dahyun. And that had only been once because Mina had become so riled up with her brother that she cried her heart out one night. Now, Jihyo was also one to experience it and she hadn’t run away, telling the public about how fake she was. For once, after a very long time, Mina felt like she could trust someone… who ironically turned out to be her competitor.

But, she was willing to put her faith in Jihyo and she was going to cherish her friendship. Because she knew how rare it was to find someone trustworthy in this industry – and she was sure that Jihyo had the same thoughts about that. It felt weird that she was placing her faith in someone when she rarely did it, but all she came to think about was the way Jihyo had protected her. 

And that earned all of her faith in her, even if it was something really risky.

To top it all off, she was presented with the chance of getting closer to Jihyo because of Nayeon. Initially, she was shocked by the invitation that came in the envelope; then she realised that it was a very important gift. It was the perfect way to get to know Jihyo better. To think that she’d ever have the mindset to become friends with Jihyo makes her chuckle. One experience is enough to change your life – one interaction can easily change the way you think. She shouldn’t say it, but she was glad that it had happened. For if it hadn’t, she would always be stuck with the notion that Jihyo was someone stuck up and self-loving.

Mina sighed heavily as she finished the last of her paperwork on her desk. She could finally go home for the night and get prepared for the retreat that started tomorrow. She was honestly extremely excited and scared at the same time. She didn’t know about room arrangements so she hoped that Nayeon had given one to each person. She needed this retreat to get away from everything that has been going on at work and with her brother constantly chasing her. And then on the side, she got to spend more time with Jihyo – which she still hasn’t figured out if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

What she does know, is that she’s going to get the most out of the next five days and use it to get the stress out of her system. Finishing everything for the following five days was a really big mission. So, she left the office feeling like she accomplished a whole lot of things for the day.

Dahyun had left the office already, saying something about meeting up with Tzuyu so it was only Mina who remained in office. She sent her driver home already because she was unsure about what time she was finishing and Mina didn’t want to keep him in longer than necessary. So now, she probably had to find a taxi or Uber it back to her place.

As she exited the building, a chill ran up her spine. She didn’t know if it was because of the cold weather outside or simply something else. But, there was a part of her that felt like someone was following her. It didn’t help that it was extremely dark outside, with little light around since she hadn’t come near the carpark yet.

She sped up in fear, thinking that she saw someone move in the shadows behind her. Or maybe it was just the wind pushing the trees by the building. Her heels were echoing in the area as she took each step and it was the only sound she could hear. That was until she looked up at the parking mirrors she’d put along the walls of the building for her staff, noticing a man walking behind her.

Her heart raced in her chest. She was sure she was going to die tonight because of her damn brother. How could he send people after her twice in two days? Was he getting anxious waiting for so long? She almost tripped out of nervousness as she could sense the gap closing between them.

She froze then, because there were a pair of headlights heading straight towards her. This was planned so carefully. Even to the point where her brother had backup. The car, however, stopped metres away from Mina, surprising her.

“Mina, is that you?” A familiar voice called out.

She almost ran towards the car, but the owner of the voice met her halfway.

Someone out there obviously cares about her wellbeing.

Or else Jihyo wouldn’t be here as her saviour once again.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mina has her own knight in shining armor (well, in a dress)


	6. [006] - [would you rather me glare at you the entire time?]

It was safe to say that Jihyo had a bad sleep. She wasn’t even sure _bad_ would cover it; it was simply terrible. She tossed and turned all night, thinking about the fact that she was going to be rooming with Mina for five days. At least, she could’ve gotten one last night of proper sleep, but no, her mind was filled with worries. There wasn’t really anything to be worried about but she couldn’t help think of situations where both CEOs would be incredibly awkward with each other. Like, who is sleeping on the bed as opposed to the couch or who will use the shower first or if Mina might just hate the whole idea of rooming together.

It wouldn’t surprise her if Mina expected her own room at the retreat. Jihyo thought the same, but she was just given extra time to take it in that it wouldn’t be the case with the two of them. What were the chances that Mina would throw a fit tomorrow because of the arrangements? Jihyo laughed in her bed as she thought about a whining Mina. She couldn’t believe she found that side of her _cute_. What was wrong with her? She shouldn’t be thinking about Mina or her gummy smile or her moles; someone save Jihyo from this misery before she drowns in her thoughts about the Japanese CEO.

Not only that, she was worried about the person who was following Mina at her office. She noticed the man who was looming around behind her when she’d just gotten there. Mina was shaking terribly and it reminded her of the party all over again. She couldn’t help but think that there was someone after Mina and her job. That terrified look on her face was etched into Jihyo’s mind and she was losing sleep over that as well. What if someone had gotten to Mina in her own home? Or what if someone attacked her? Myoui Mina had completely invaded her world, and everything around her.

She looked over to the clock next to head, groaning as she realised it was only 6am. They were meant to be at the retreat by 9am so what was she going to do for the next three hours when she can’t even sleep. Jihyo shuffled out of her bed, slipping on her robe as the morning chill got to her when her feet hit the tiles of her bathroom. She shuddered, but headed towards the basin, washing up first. Surprisingly, the sleepiness didn’t show on her face. The bags under her eyes were just a little prevalent but other than that, it was fine. No one would ever guess she spent the entire night rolling around in her bed in worry about Myoui Mina.

Jihyo grabbed her wallet and house keys off her kitchen counter, heading out of her home and going for a walk. Maybe she could drop by the dog shelter that she frequently visited. She had a soft spot for dogs in her life, but she never had the courage to adopt one for herself. A pet needed constant love and care and Jihyo is almost always at work, rarely home to take care of one with her CEO duties taking up her time. It always made her happy when she visited the shelter and the people there know her well enough to let her spend as much time as she wanted there.

As a matter of fact, the current owner, Jennie, was a good friend of Jihyo’s. Though Tzuyu is there for her to be kept in line for work matters, Jihyo talks to Jennie when she feels overwhelmed with work. In this case, the cause of the stress in her mind is none other than Myoui Mina. She hoped that Jennie already opened up the place. She didn’t want to bother her either by asking her to come in early. Thankfully, the door to the shelter was unlocked. She could take some time to get Myoui off her mind.

“Oh! You’re here very early Jihyo.” The owner greeted.

“Sorry Jennie.” Jihyo apologised immediately.

“There’s no need to apologise! You’re welcome any time. There are only two main visitors who come here anyway. So! You’re stressed, aren’t you?” Jennie observed as soon as she walked in inside.

“I’m not stressed.” Jihyo firmly denied.

“Well, there’s some tension around you. I can sense it. Is it the girl again? The one you kind of hate kind of don’t?” Jennie asked, chuckling when Jihyo blushed as soon as the words left her mouth.

“N-no!” Jihyo stammered.

“You know better than to lie to me.” Jennie scoffed, sitting down next to Jihyo as she played with one of the dogs.

“Sunja is cute as always.” Jihyo commented, petting the Shih Tzu in front of her.

“Stop changing the subject.” Jennie scolded.

“Alright, alright.” Jihyo backed away. “You remember Nayeon right? The one who was organising the fundraiser event. Basically, to reward us, she booked us in for a retreat.”

“That’s great! You’re always busy with office work.” Jennie clapped, earning a glare from Jihyo.

“If I was always busy, I wouldn’t be stopping by here to see you.” Jihyo snickered as Jennie rolled her eyes. “But that wasn’t the main point. I have to spend time with _her._ That’s the main problem.”

“How is that a problem? You wanted to get to know her. You two are friends now. Just be yourself.” Jennie frowned.

“I don’t open myself up easily…” Jihyo sighed, cuddling Sunja.

“You have to let someone inside, Jihyo. For a long time, you’ve kept yourself away from everyone around you. You push people away and this person is the first one to come so close.” Jennie advised.

“But–”

“Let me ask you something. When you see Tzuyu and Dahyun, how do you feel? Of course, you feel happy for Tzuyu, but what else do you feel when you see them?” Jennie questioned.

“… I don’t get the point of the question.” Jihyo answered hesitantly.

“You know what I’m asking. And you have your answer. So, tell me.” Jennie demanded. 

“Obviously, it makes me sad too. It’s not like I’m not reminded of how much of a failure my love life is.” Jihyo mumbled.

“You have the chance to make something of this relationship with her.” Jennie pointed out.

“But… I’m worried.” Jihyo confessed, fiddling with Sunja’s collar now.

“About what?” Jennie asked.

“What if I open up, pursue her, and it fails? I don’t know if I want to head down that path.” Jihyo contemplated.

“You’ll never know until you try. What if it does work? What if she’s the one for you? What if you let her go and it becomes the biggest regret of your life? There are other what ifs than negatives.” Jennie shook her head, slapping some sense into Jihyo. “I’m not telling you to chase after her. I’m just saying to open your heart.”

The door chimed and Jennie left Jihyo to tend to the person who just arrived, letting Jihyo drown herself in her thoughts. New problems and scenarios swam in her mind and she was beginning to feel overwhelmed with everything. She sighed heavily before turning to Sunja, who was looking at Jihyo with sad eyes.

“My life is sad, isn’t it?” Jihyo mumbled, rubbing his head.

Being in her own world, Jihyo failed to notice the other person in the room who was watching her with curiosity. A smile formed on her lips as she realised that Jihyo was talking to the dog while playing with him. It was cute to see. Jihyo kept surprising her with the way she was, without being surrounded by high walls that hid her true personality. Just like Mina did herself…

“How long has she been here for?”

“Hmm, probably an hour? She was talking to me about her problems but I left to open the door for you Mina. What are you doing here anyway?” Jennie asked.

“I was feeling nervous about something but it kind of went away now.” Mina grinned.

“My face is that effective?” Jennie teased, earning a glare from Mina. “I’ve never seen you smile that wide.”

“Guess I’ve been put in a good mood.” Mina shrugged, eyes still on Jihyo’s figure further in the room.

“By what – oh!” Jennie followed Mina’s gaze. “You have a crush on our resident caretaker?”

“Resident caretaker? And what? No!” Mina quickly brushed her off.

“She comes here almost once every week to pamper the dogs.” Jennie explained.

“Never fails to come?” Mina gasped.

“If she does, she apologises for not coming like ten times. And then she spends time with each dog in the shelter. She’s a soft soul and a rare one. That’s why, I’m sorry to say, but she has someone on her mind.” Jennie exposed, shattering Mina’s hopes right there.

“What?” Mina mumbled.

“There’s this girl she has a weird relationship with. Basically, she recently became friends with this woman after they were hating each other for a very long time. She doesn’t know if she should go forward and ask her about it.” Jennie chuckled.

“About what?” Mina questioned, looking back to Jennie.

“If she can trust her. If she’s worth it.” Jennie informed.

Mina’s eyes widened as Jennie spoke on about the mystery girl. The person sounded oddly like herself. Who else would Jihyo hate other than Mina over the past few years? And they’d also begun to become friends recently. The description fit her quite well, unless some other girl was going to magically appear. She had yet to hear about anyone else in Jihyo’s life other than Tzuyu. Could she be talking about Nayeon…? But Nayeon and Jihyo never hated each other so she’s not counted as a possible person. Jihyo just admired Nayeon and was inspired by her.

“What’s her name?” Mina urged.

“She never told me. She referred to her as the ‘constellation girl’.” Jennie shrugged.

“Huh? Constellation girl?” Mina frowned. She was ninety percent sure it was her now.

“Something about moles – hey why are you heading towards her!” Jennie whispered, trying to pull Mina back but failing.

Jihyo was certainly going to kill her and then she’d kicked out from the place and she’d never step a foot in this shelter again. She had the ability to buy off the entire property with the flick of her fingers. Why was she such a loud mouth? She was meant to keep everything quiet but everything just escaped her lips like she was given a truth serum. Jennie ran out of the room, leaving the two girls there on their own. 

“Jihyo?” Mina called out, scaring Jihyo out of her reverie in the process.

Sunja barked happily upon seeing Mina, jumping out of Jihyo’s embrace and running to Mina. Mina giggled, Jihyo’s ears picking up on the adorable sound immediately. Damn, her heart.

“What a traitor.” Jihyo muttered, blushing as Mina smiled fondly at her.

She confirmed that Jihyo was talking about her when Jennie had added the final touch of the constellation. Jennie probably hadn’t realised there were moles all over her face. Mina shook her head. So, there was a high possibility that Jihyo liked her. It was certainly news to her. She didn’t know what she could with the information. Was it admiration that Mina felt for Jihyo for saving her? She was confused. Surely, Jihyo snuck into her heart from the first time they met. She was already admiring the way Jihyo smiled way before she had saved Mina. 

Sunja brought her out of her thoughts, pawing at her feet. She crouched down to scoop him in her arms, earning an excited lick from the dog. He was being adorable and affectionate like he always was. Jihyo had a smile on her face as she observed the two of them, finding this side of Mina admirable. 

“You’ve been a good boy, haven’t you Sunja?” Mina gushed, scratching the back of his neck.

“He’s a traitor.” Jihyo mumbled, looking in the opposite direction. Mina covered his ears, glaring at Jihyo for saying bad things around the little puppy.

“Just because he likes me more than you, doesn’t mean you should sulk about it.” Mina hmphed.

“It’s not like he can understand what I say anyway.” Jihyo sighed, moving over to give Mina space to sit down. “Sit.”

“How come you’re here?” Mina asked first as she sat beside Jihyo, shoulder to shoulder.

“I wanted to take a break. I decided to come here before we met at the retreat to get my mind off things.” Jihyo answered.

“Break? Are you feeling fine? You look really tired.” Mina frowned, looking at Jihyo with concern. She could see the bags under her eyes since they were sitting close to each other.

“Mhmm. Just couldn’t get much sleep.” Jihyo nodded, playing with her sleeve. “You? Never pictured you as an early bird.”

“I just missed Sunja. And I might be excited about the retreat as well.” Mina chuckled, patting him as he barked.

Silence fell upon the two of them, neither of them saying anything to break it. It was comfortable, but Jihyo felt the thoughts that kept her up stir up in her mind all over again. She really had trust issues and she didn’t know how to approach the topic with Mina.

“Mina.” Jihyo called for her attention. She blanked out momentarily when her eyes locked with Mina’s, forgetting what she was meant to say.

“I’m scared.” Jihyo confessed.

Sensing the change of conversation, Mina frowned, letting Sunja down and sitting across Jihyo. Jihyo was teary and Mina had no idea why. What was she scared about? Especially to the point where she was shaking.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Mina gently asked. She placed a hand on Jihyo’s shoulder, feeling her flinch under her touch. She was about to move her hand away, but Jihyo didn’t let her, squeezing her hand instead.

“I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing or if I’m letting my emotions get the better of me. It’s a risk, Mina. But nothing is rational anymore. I can’t separate my feelings from work.” Jihyo let out a frustrated groan.

“That’s not always a bad thing, you know.” Mina consoled, edging closer to Jihyo.

“Mina, it might be the case for a regular person but for CEOs in the business world, it’s the worst thing to be having such a mindset. It’s a weakness that people can exploit. And I don’t show anyone any of my weaknesses…” Jihyo explained. 

“Yet you showed me.” Mina whispered.

“Because… you’re the one who’s becoming my weakness.” Jihyo chuckled bitterly, looking away from Mina. “Whether friend, family or lover – there’s always a chance of them being hurt.”

“Hey, you’re not the only one with a weakness.” Mina pointed out, pulling Jihyo back to her. “You know about mine as well.”

“There’s a difference. There’s a difference between your weakness and you _being_ my weakness. For a long time, I’ve managed to show the public that Tzuyu and I aren’t close so that I don’t endanger her. How do you just turn up and mess everything up.” Jihyo shook her head, laughing.

“I am, Myoui Mina.” Mina laughed next to Jihyo, bumping into her with her shoulder. “I’ll let you know, that you’re also becoming a huge weakness. I’m showing you my true side and I don’t even know why.”

“It’s the Park charm.” Jihyo teased, feeling like a weight was lifted off her shoulders after the conversation. She was glad she could joke around with Mina like this without worrying.

“I know trust will be hard to form between us. Especially with our business constantly in the middle. I don’t know how but you showed me that it’s okay to be myself. For so long, I kept to myself, away from everyone and prying eyes… especially my brother. He’s out to get my spot for the CEO position of our company. I – I’ve never felt like I can put my trust in someone so quickly. Especially my sworn enemy, basically.” Mina confessed.

“Have we trusted each other too easily? I don’t know. But, you make me feel like putting my trust in you was a good decision. This retreat trip… it might be a little awkward. But, I think we’ll have a good time, away from the public eye.” Jihyo smiled, melting Mina’s insides.

“Don’t do that!” Mina whined.

“Don’t do what?” Jihyo asked in confusion, still smiling brightly.

“Smile like that.” Mina mumbled.

“Why? Would you rather me glare at you the entire time?” Jihyo chuckled at Mina’s reaction.

“Nooo.” Mina groaned, hiding her face in her hands. How was she meant to explain that her heart felt like it was going to explode when she smiled like that. Also, how was she meant to do that without blushing like a tomato.

“So, no smiling. Does that mean I can tell you not to giggle?” Jihyo implied. Mina looked for signs of her joking, but failed to see any.

“Wait, you’re actually being serious?” Mina countered, widening her eyes.

“If you can tell me not to smile, why can’t I tell you not to giggle.” Jihyo shrugged.

“We really sound like a pair of high school students arguing about something miniscule.” Mina scoffed, laughing in embarrassment.

“Who said being kids at heart is bad?” Jihyo smiled coyly.

“Are you implying something there?” Mina muttered.

“Hmm. Imagining you as a high school student is difficult. Were you the kind to have your nose in books? Or were you the ones people worshipped? I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the latter.” Jihyo teased.

“… I didn’t do anything. I just kept to myself.” Mina mumbled, blushing at the accuracy of Jihyo’s statement.

“Did you abuse your power?” Jihyo pushed.

“No… I probably should have made the most of it, right?” Mina said, shaking her head as they two laughed it off.

The two were so involved in their conversation that they had no idea how fast time flew. It was only when Jihyo’s alarm went off that she realised the time.

“Oh shoot! We have to be there soon. How did you get here?” Jihyo asked, pulling Mina up.

“Bus and walking.” Mina answered sheepishly.

“Let’s go together then. Don’t travel on your own so much.” Jihyo discouraged, pulling Mina out of the shelter.

Jihyo walked unconsciously but Mina was _very_ wary of the hand that was holding hers tightly.

 


	7. [007] - [how were you so calm about it?]

Tzuyu had dialled Jihyo’s number about ten times, receiving no answer. Where the hell had she disappeared to with her car? She wasn’t even responding to calls or messages that she left for her. She was about to call her again, when her phone buzzed. A simple and short message from Jihyo. _With Mina._ So, that’s why she wasn’t at home. And that’s why she wasn’t answering calls or messages. Now, how was she meant to get to the retreat when Jihyo left without her.

Someone beeped outside her house and Tzuyu was ready to give them hell, even though she was in her sleeping robe. She froze upon the sight of a familiar grin, realising that she was just about to give Dahyun hell. She groaned, remembering that she was still in her robe. Dahyun laughed as she neared her, a tint of red spreading over Tzuyu’s cheeks.

“You look comfortable and ready to go.” Dahyun teased.

“I’ll be right back. Come inside and make yourself comfortable.” Tzuyu muttered, running inside and into her room. 

Wait, she’d forgotten to ask what Dahyun was doing here in the first place. It was probably because both of their bosses had abandoned them, so Dahyun, being the amazing person that she was, came out to pick her up. Tzuyu squealed at the gesture, jumping onto her bed.

“Tzuyu, are you okay?” Dahyun shouted, hearing the noises from her room.

“I’m fine! Don’t worry!” Tzuyu responded, quickly dressing herself up.

Dahyun entertained herself by looking around Tzuyu’s living room. There were cute photos of her when she was younger and she couldn’t help but gush over how cute she looked. Well, she was still cute – but baby cute was different. Her younger pictures were exactly what she looked now. Her eyes moved to Tzuyu’s family picture, tilting her head as she tried to pick up on what was wrong in the picture. It looked so professional and strict – Tzuyu stood because she was the only one _not_ smiling.

“No, no! Those are embarrassing.” Tzuyu whined, running in front of Dahyun and covering her photos.

“Why? They’re adorable.” Dahyun looked surprised. “Especially the one where you’re drinking directly from a coconut, shirtless.”

Tzuyu blushed hard, unable to meet Dahyun’s gaze. The one picture she was meant to remove from there was the one that Dahyun had picked out. Can someone dig a hole in the ground so she could jump in it and cover herself underneath?

“Let’s go.” Dahyun chuckled, tugging on Tzuyu’s hand as they left her apartment.

“Where are we going?” Tzuyu asked.

“How else are you planning on getting to the retreat?” Dahyun pointed out.

“Uh, taxi? I was considering it before you pulled up.” Tzuyu rubbed the back of her neck as she spoke.

“I can’t believe you were going to call one. Give me your phone.” Dahyun muttered, showing Tzuyu her hand. Moments later, Tzuyu gave her the phone and Dahyun put her number in there. “If you ever get stuck or need anything, just call me instead.”

Tzuyu nodded, feeling shy with Dahyun’s smooth moves. She pocketed her phone as Dahyun reversed out of the driveway of her place. She looked over at Tzuyu, frowned and then stopped the car to the side.

“I think you need someone with you twenty-four seven.” Dahyun muttered, leaning over Tzuyu.

She inhaled sharply as Dahyun’s face was right in front of her, scared that even breathing would blow her away. Dahyun pulled Tzuyu’s seatbelt, clicking it in place before finally looking up and realising their distance. 

Tzuyu’s risky glance to Dahyun’s lips was all she needed to lean forward, pressing her lips to hers. A soft gasp escaped from Tzuyu’s mouth as Dahyun cupped her cheeks, her eyes fluttering close as soon as she felt her lips against her own. Dahyun pulled back first, opening her eyes to the most beautiful sight in the world. She placed another quick kiss on her forehead before moving back completely.

“A kiss for every time I don’t wear my seatbelt? I think that sounds like a good plan.” Tzuyu cheekily confessed.

Dahyun blushed and looked away, clearing her throat as she started her car up again. She reached out for Tzuyu’s hand, intertwining it with hers, still avoiding looking at Tzuyu. That was such a spur of the moment decision and her heart was still beating so fast in her chest. The feel of Tzuyu’s lips was still lingering on her own.

“How did you know to come pick me up?” Tzuyu mumbled.

“Mina told me she left with Miss Jihyo. I asked about you and she said you weren’t with them. So, I decided to come pick you up.” Dahyun answered.

“What if I wasn’t home?” Tzuyu teased.

“Then I would’ve asked Mina to ask for your number so that I could check up on you.” Dahyun responded quickly.

The two stayed quiet for a moment, before bursting into laughter. Their slight awkwardness was long gone now, and they’d gone back into their usual style of conversation, teasing and flirting with each other. It effectively cut the ride short, and they arrived at the retreat in no time.

Honestly, it was a little bit weird seeing Mina and Jihyo, standing shoulder to shoulder, immersed in some deep conversation with animated hands and movements. And, was that a smile on both of their faces? Dahyun squinted, tapping Tzuyu excitedly as she noticed something else. They turned to each other with the biggest knowing grin on their faces.

Mina and Jihyo were holding hands.

In public.

Not even caring about anything else.

“Should we tease them?” Dahyun contemplated.

“It’ll backfire. Watch them tease us endlessly.” Tzuyu muttered.

Dahyun was still holding onto her hand from their drive here. They didn’t want to disturb their bosses but how else were they meant to get their attention and let them know that they’d arrived?

“Let’s walk slowly.” Dahyun suggested, pulling Tzuyu close to her as they walked towards Jihyo and Mina.

When they were a metre away from their bosses, they seemed to notice their presence, quickly jumping apart. Not too far apart though, their hands were still grazing against each other’s. The pair had the audacity to blush, as if they’d been caught in a crime. Technically, they did abandon their secretaries but luckily for them, it had given them a chance to take things further.

“Hello to you both.” Dahyun grinned cheekily, earning a jab in her ribs from Tzuyu, who glared at her.

“Dahyun. Tzuyu. Let’s go inside. I have no idea what we have to do here.” Mina muttered, walking ahead with Jihyo.

She might have been trying to clear the air around them and pretend like their secretaries hadn’t just caught them in a compromising position. It wasn’t like it was a romantic gesture or anything. Jihyo was just commenting on how cold Mina’s hands were so she decided to hold them to keep them warm as they continued talking about dogs and games and what not. She’d completely forgotten that Jihyo was holding onto her hand until Dahyun had walked to them with Tzuyu. Now that she thought about it, Dahyun was also holding Tzuyu’s hand when she headed towards them.

“Hey Dahyun?” Mina called for her secretary’s attention.

“Yes?” She answered, eyes widening when she saw the smirk on Mina’s face, along with the head movement to point out their intertwined hands. “Is there anything I can do for you.”

“No, it’s fine for now.” Mina chuckled.

The four of them headed towards the front counter to check themselves in for the next five days. This was the time that Jihyo felt extremely nervous. How was Mina going to take it? That they’d be sleeping in two rooms?

“I have your keys with me. Miss Kim Dahyun and Miss Chou Tzuyu will be rooming together and Miss Park Jihyo and Miss Myoui Mina will be rooming in another area.” The receptionist informed, surprising everyone but Jihyo.

“Two rooms? Can’t you add one more?” Mina frowned.

“I’m sorry Miss. We cannot book in rooms or change itineraries after it has been 24 hours since your arrival.” She denied.

So, Mina really didn’t want to stay with her? That was it, right? Jihyo felt defeated on the inside but she refused to let it show.

“There’s a bathhouse here, am I right? I’ll just stay there during the night time.” Jihyo nodded, making Mina feel guilty for not saying anything else.

“Jihyo–”

“It’s fine. I’ll just keep my luggage in Dahyun’s room. You have nothing to worry about Mina.” Jihyo offered a smile. 

But for some reason, it didn’t quite reach her eyes. She could sense there was disappointment and Mina knew, it was because of her. Though, Jihyo wasn’t listening to Mina anymore and Tzuyu was looking over at her in concern.

“Let’s just get to the rooms and relax. We’ll meet back here in an hour.” Jihyo suggested, earning a nod from everyone.

Tzuyu and Dahyun left first, hesitant, but receiving a shake of the head from Jihyo, encouraging them to go. She was about to move on her side and close her eyes when Mina grabbed her hand instead. Jihyo looked up, confused with what Mina was doing. Before she could ask, Mina had pulled her up, throwing her off balance slightly.

“Mina?” Jihyo called out, wondering what was going on because she looked furious.

“We’re going.” Mina decided, pulling Jihyo by her hand.

“Wait, no. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” Jihyo stopped. She refused to go any further.

“You don’t want me to be uncomfortable? Then you’re sleeping in our room. Because, it makes me uncomfortable that you’re going to be staying here when Nayeon booked a room for us.” Mina glowered.

Jihyo nodded meekly, following Mina as she led them up to their room. She had no idea what that was about because Mina looked disappointed in the fact that they were sharing a room. Now, why was she okay with this?

“I’m sorry.” Mina apologised as they entered the room.

“Ha?’ Jihyo was officially even more confused.

“I know you think that I’m used to having everything for myself and it probably even seemed more like it when you saw my reaction to the news. But, it’s not like that. It just caught me off guard.” Mina explained.

“Hey, you don’t have to apologise.” Jihyo shook her head.

“Argh. You have to stop being like that. Jihyo, you’re way too kind.” Mina whined in annoyance.

“I can’t really help it.” Jihyo shrugged.

“Tell me when you think I’m being a nuisance. Or put some sense into me when I come off as a brat… I don’t want to hurt you.” Mina mumbled, sighing and turning around. “Everything is changing so fast between us, I don’t want to think of the possibility of how quickly you could hate me.”

“I couldn’t hate you. I wouldn’t be able to fathom the strength to do that. You’re no brat or a nuisance Mina.” Jihyo denied, placing her hands on Mina’s shoulders to turn her towards her. “You’re strong and capable. You’re very talented and there’s a reason why you’re in the place you are today. That would have shaped the person that you are today. There’s nothing wrong with wanting a room to yourself!” She laughed.

“How were you so calm about it?” Mina pondered, looking up to Jihyo who was now blushing.

“Uh… I might have known beforehand?” Jihyo confessed, seeing Mina’s eyes changing from softness to anger in one quick second.

“You could’ve told me before we got here!” Mina shouted, grabbing a pillow off the bed to smack Jihyo with it.

“Hey! It’s not like I knew days in advanced!” Jihyo argued, defending herself against the attacks.

“It doesn’t matter! I could’ve prepared myself!” Mina groaned, hitting Jihyo one last time. “You’re sleeping on the couch.”

Jihyo was going to argue with Mina about it, but she relented. The couch didn’t look that uncomfortable anyway. Also, she didn’t know what kind of sleeping habits Mina had in bed. She’d be a lot safer sleeping on the couch than the bed.

“Fine.” Jihyo grumbled, heading to the shower first.

Forty-five minutes later, the four of them met in front of the reception desk, wondering what they could do. It was still one in the afternoon so they had plenty of time to do things before the night came.

“Why do you two look so red?” Jihyo asked Tzuyu and Dahyun.

“Ah, no reason. It’s just hot.” Tzuyu answered quickly, earning a nudge from Dahyun. Jihyo stared at them for a few more moments before giving up and heading to the reception to ask about the activities they could attend.

“Don’t answer so fast!” Dahyun muttered.

“Well, it’s not like I could say we were heavily making out before we were called down, can I?” Tzuyu replied, gritting her teeth.

“You two were making out?” Mina asked, shocking the two of them.

“Uhhh…” They both responded together, earning a chuckle out of Mina.

“Stop being so worried. Why would either of us be against you two being together? If you’re happy, that’s all that matters.” Mina grinned, making the two girls blush.

“Thank you.” Tzuyu smiled, earning a nod from Mina before she went back to browsing on her phone.

“You need to shh.” Dahyun teased.

“Make me.” Tzuyu snickered, poking at Dahyun’s ribs.

“Hey, you two flirts. What do you want to do?” Jihyo broke up their moment, looking amused.

“Huh?” Tzuyu responded, not hearing what Jihyo had said.

“Not listening, huh? Well, the four of us could go together or we could do activities in pairs. Whatever suits.” Jihyo suggested, putting pamphlets for activities on the table between them all.

Mina and Jihyo had already looked through them and decided that they wanted to go out for a trek first, rather than yoga or Zumba class.

“Do you want to be together with them, or alone?” Tzuyu whispered to Dahyun.

“I think it’ll be better if we were alone.” Tzuyu nodded.

“What do you think?” Jihyo laughed as she asked Mina.

“They’re definitely going to go on their own. Look at those grins. You think they’d be happy if they were going to do activities with us when they could spend more time together?” Mina snickered.

“That’s certain. Are you sure you want to go on the trek?” Jihyo double checked.

“Yes, Jihyo. I’ll be fine. I don’t like yoga or Zumba very much.” Mina answered, scrunching up her nose thinking about the possibility.

“Whatever you wish.” Jihyo chuckled.

“How come you’re not doing it?” Mina turned to face Jihyo.

“I’m not a very flexible person. And I’d much rather do an activity with someone else in the group.” Jihyo confessed, blushing red.

“You’re cute.” Mina gushed, almost reaching over to pinch Jihyo’s cheeks had it not been for Tzuyu and Dahyun finally speaking.

“We’ll go with yoga.” Dahyun pointed out.

“Then I guess we’ll see each other in the afternoon.” Jihyo waved, taking Mina with her to the instructor for trekking.

Neither of them have trekked before so this would be their first time, and they were doing it together. Nervousness was largely present in both of their facial features, but for some reason, seeing each other in such a state calmed the other. Maybe it was because there was something that neither of them had done and this would be their first experience. And, honestly, first experiences are always terrifying.

“You’re not scared of heights, are you?” Mina asked Jihyo, who paled at the question.

“Maybe… a little bit.” Jihyo confessed, shutting her eyes.

“Holding hands helps, I promise.” Mina teased, making Jihyo whine. “If it makes you feel better, I’m a little bit scared too. I can’t remember the last time I’ve crossed a bridge.”

She felt Jihyo relax a little bit beside her and Mina, herself, felt more relaxed. She hadn’t even realised she was on edge when she was with Jihyo.

“I’m not an outdoor person, but I have a feeling this will be worth it.” Jihyo spoke with motivation. 

Mina chuckled and nodded, acknowledging their instructor as she came towards them. However, that quickly changed to anger as she glanced over Jihyo’s figure. _Calm down Mina, maybe she was just observing something_.

“Mina, are you okay?” Jihyo frowned, standing in front of Mina.

_Ha, conveniently the instructor would be blocked from ogling Jihyo for the time being._

“Yes! It’s just nerves.” Mina lied.

“It’s funny how scary this is when we talk in front of hundreds of people.” Jihyo pointed out.

“Well, those hundreds of people don’t kill, but height can.” Mina considered.

Jihyo whined again and Mina couldn’t help but find her adorable. She stomped her foot a little and closed her eyes when she did it, and damn, that pout at the end was the seal of her death.

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry.” Mina chuckled, patting Jihyo’s shoulders.

“We can do this.” Jihyo encouraged.

“Yes, we can.” Mina nodded.

“Hold my hand.” Jihyo instructed.

Mina nodded again, slipping her hand through Jihyo’s. Their instructor had a sour look on her face but Mina only smirked. She wouldn’t let snakes touch this precious being beside her. What if she was taken advantage of because of her fear? Mina turned them around so that she was shoulder to shoulder with the instructor, in the middle of both Jihyo and her.

_This would work perfectly. There’s no way she can get her sneaky hands on Jihyo like this. Even her eyes won’t be looking this way._

Jihyo squeezed her hand tighter and Mina turned to give her a smile of reassurance. She held on just as tight, starting to cross the first bridge with Jihyo. The hesitance was there and out of the corner of her eye, she could see the instructor coming up to help her. But, Mina was quicker. She pulled Jihyo closer to her, surprising her.

“Just focus on me, don’t look down. You can do this.” Mina instructed, earning a nod from Jihyo.

Jihyo squealed as they reached the other end, hugging Mina tightly.

“You did it.” Mina smiled softly.

“ _We_ did it.” Jihyo mumbled, blushing.

This retreat was already settling in well with the two of them. Hopefully, more days like this were to come.

_Maybe with a different instructor._

 

 


	8. [008] - [i'll take you to our room?]

Much to Mina’s annoyance, the instructor had shoved her nails deep into Jihyo and she didn’t know how she could change the focus. She felt like the instructor now, standing by the side and watching the two interact. Anger bubbled up inside of her as she saw her put her hands around Jihyo’s shoulder. To add to it, there was a bloody grin on her face – as if it was mocking her that she was standing behind them, alone.

Mina trudged silently behind them, admiring the scenery. It was a beautiful place, for sure. The quietness was really appreciated; a stark difference to the usual chaotic office she spent most of her time in. Such a life was extremely tempting. Away from the pressures of being a CEO, away from her brother and his schemes… it would always just be something she _wanted_ and never really _needed_. Well, she needed a break, but, her life called for the CEO duties and running her company. She’d never be able to leave it unless it was in the hands of her brother – which was a complete no.

She shook the thoughts out of her head. This retreat wasn’t meant to be about her idiotic brother. Mina shouldn’t waste this precious time on wondering what his plans were. Though, it was probably a good distraction from the sight in front of her. She was going to give Jihyo hell when they were done with the trek. They came here together, but she was spending the entire time with that flimsy instructor. Mina breathed heavily, trying to calm herself down. Jihyo hadn’t even checked up on her! The audacity of hers. 

She stomped through a bush, not looking at where she was going anymore. Though, she regretted it as soon as she looked up and realised the other two were nowhere to be found. She cursed herself for the thousandth time. That instructor wasn’t going to tell Jihyo she wasn’t there, and Jihyo wouldn’t even realise Mina would be gone.

Mina swore under her breath as she pushed back her hair, tying it up in a ponytail. She could do this; she’d find her way back on track without getting lost. She just hoped she’d be out of the place before it got dark. Huffing, she traced her steps back, remembering some parts of where she’d walked.

But, spending half an hour walking, Mina had realised she was walking in circles. Her luck was just getting better and better. Her feet were tired without a single doubt. She could collapse any time, and her anger was peaking. Damn Park Jihyo. Damn Im Nayeon. Damn everyone for the creation of the damn retreat. And damn that instructor!

She growled loudly, banging her fist against the bark of a tree. The sudden movement made her lose her balance and Mina stumbled down, landing poorly on her right ankle. She winced in pain as she gingerly touched around it, feeling it shoot up her body. She was basically lost in a jungle with no reception, no guides and a twisted ankle.

“Fuck this, everything. Why do I even care about that girl?” Mina seethed, trying to stand up. She moved forward one step when she collapsed again, unable to bear the pain.

“She is the most infuriating person ever. How can you just leave someone behind like that?” Mina spoke to herself.

She had to push up and walk on her uninjured leg if she hoped of getting back to the central area again.

“I should’ve just ignored the invitation and none of this would’ve happened. I shouldn’t have even asked to be her friend. What the hell was I thinking about? I probably wasn’t even thinking.”

“Why the hell am I even talking to myself. I’m going crazy.”

“I’m going to kill her!”

“Kill who?”

Jihyo’s voice terrified Mina, making her lose her balance on her good foot. She looked at Mina in worry, grabbing her by the waist to pull her back up, allowing her to stand.

“Why are you here.” Mina frowned, as if she wasn’t just cursing out the girl in front of her.

“To find you?” Jihyo pointed out the obvious.

“Well, you wouldn’t have needed to find me if you weren’t so engrossed in the instructor’s words.” Mina growled, jabbing Jihyo’s chest.

She moved away from Jihyo, walking in the opposite direction from where they were meant to be headed. Jihyo bit back a smile at Mina’s attitude, knowing if she said anything, Mina would most likely skin her alive.

“At least go the right way.” Jihyo called out, making sure Mina was following her before turning back around.

“Stop laughing!” Mina groaned as she saw Jihyo’s shaking shoulders.

“Why are you walking so slow? Hurry up.” Jihyo shook her head.

Should she tell her that she had a swollen foot that could be possibly fractured because the pain was extremely excruciating? Each step for Mina felt like her foot was on fire.

Once they reached the clearing to get back to the main centre, Mina released a big sigh of relief. She took in a big gulp of air as she stopped, taking a break. Jihyo would probably attack her with more words about being slow but really, she couldn’t take it anymore. She went forward one more time but stumbled, her knee hitting the gravel road.

Mina held in a string of curses from escaping her lips as the sting intensified even further. She felt like chopping off her entire leg.

“Woah! Are you okay there?” A bystander jogged up to Mina, helping her up.

“Sorry, I just stumbled.” Mina mumbled, feeling flustered with the attention.

“Is it okay if I have a look? My name is Momo. I’m the resident doctor here at the retreat.” She asked, pulling out a badge.

Mina nodded meekly, watching on as Momo observed and prodded in places around her knee.

“It’s a good thing I was heading back and saw you here.” Momo frowned, sighed heavily. “Do you have a swollen ankle as well?” She asked, gently touching her ankle. “You do. Alright, I’ll give you a choice between two. Either I carry you in my arms or on my back.”

Mina’s eyes widened at the offer and she shook her head intensely. “No, it’s okay. I can walk it.”

“You’ve agitated it severely already. It has to be either of the two. You shouldn’t put any more pressure on it more than you already have.” Momo explained gently.

“Uhh…” Mina remained unresponsive, unable to form an answer with Momo staring at her so intently.

“I’ll carry her.”

Mina’s head whipped up in the direction of Jihyo’s voice. Her eyes were burning with anger; was it directed at her? Or… perhaps Momo?

Jihyo wasted no time in rolling up her sleeves, crouching in front of Mina as she tilted her head, telling her to get on her back. She was red in embarrassment, but she wrapped her arms around Jihyo’s neck, holding in her gasp as Jihyo gripped the back of her thighs firmly before hoisting her up.

Momo watched the two in amusement, not saying a word as she guided them to her office. Jihyo was still furious and Mina was hesitant to even say a word. She held on to Jihyo tightly, hiding her face in the crook of her neck.

“Can you quit breathing so heavily against my neck?” Jihyo grumbled. It was getting harder for her to think clearly when Mina was so close to her.

She’d laughed it off when Mina had spoken about Jihyo paying attention to the instructor, but she had a taste of what Mina would’ve been going through when she saw that doctor put her hands all over her. Mina hadn’t even told her that she hurt her ankle and Jihyo felt really guilty. Firstly, she had stopped paying attention to Mina, then she hadn’t realised that she’d gotten lost – the instructor had tried to make her believe that Mina was back at the main building, but she knew Mina wouldn’t do that. And now, she hadn’t realised Mina was injured and she was pushing her to walk faster.

“Please take a seat here.” Momo indicated to the white bed in the examination room.

Jihyo let Mina down from her shoulders, the guilt hitting her more when she heard her wince. She was quick to turn around and pick her up, placing her down on the bed. Mina slapped her arm because of the sudden movement, sending a glare her way as Momo chuckled at their interaction.

“Miss, may I have your name and date of birth? Just so that I can cross-check with the system details.” Momo asked, sitting behind her computer.

“Myoi Mina. 24th March 1997.” Mina answered.

Actually, no one knew her birthdate or her real surname, other than Dahyun and the shareholders in her company.

“Ah, Japanese!” Momo grinned widely, typing away as Jihyo shot daggers at her. “Now, would you like this lady to be by your side while we proceed with the examination?

Mina was going to say no, but Jihyo shot her a glance that looked as if she was going to die if she said no.

“It’s okay if she’s here.” Mina sighed heavily as she replied. Jihyo smirked widely at her response, as if she’d succeeded in something and suddenly, Mina was reminded of the fact that she’d left her alone earlier. “Actually, I think it’d be better off if we were alone.”

Jihyo’s smirk vanished and panic could be written all over her face and posture. She was trying to get Mina’s attention to let her stay but Momo had ushered her out of the door instead. Mina smiled, feeling happy that she got some kind of revenge on Jihyo.

“Let’s get this leg checked up.” Momo clapped, grabbing her first aid kid. “Just a precaution, this will burn.

Mina hissed as Momo dabbed her knee with Dettol; the antiseptic lotion burned into her wound. She used tweezers to pull out little rocks, that had somehow gotten stuck inside it.

“Are you two together?” Momo asked, trying to distract Mina from the pain.

“What? Us? No way. Just friends.” Mina strongly denied.

“It sure looked like she was ready to tear my head off when I offered to carry you.” Momo chuckled.

“Most likely because I didn’t tell her that I was injured when we were walking back. I kind of got lost on the trek and I was mad at her for leaving me alone when she was basically ignoring my existence and being chummy with the instructor.” Mina explained.

Momo smiled at the confession, nodding along to whatever Mina was saying. “Good thing she found you then.”

“She’s saved me so many times already, and I feel like such a burden on her. I treated her poorly but she was still willing to be open and accept friendship.” Mina frowned.

“You treated her poorly? I would’ve expected it to be the other way around.” Momo gasped.

“She’s a total softy. And it makes me feel terrible because I was basically a bitch to her when we met. We hated each other.” Mina confessed, shaking her head at the memory.

“Woah. I swear it sounds like a fairy tale between you two. Two enemies, who became friends, helping each other out.” Momo exaggerated.

“A fairy tale without romance.” Mina corrected.

“I didn’t mention anything about romance. Unless you want it to be included. Because you’ve mentioned it twice already.” Momo countered, laughing as Mina blushed at the accusation.

“We’re taking things slow. I don’t think romance is written for us.” Mina sighed.

“Yet. Not yet. But there’s always a possibility. So, be strong and don’t give up.” Momo advised.

A knock on the door disturbed the conversation and Momo had finished bandaging Mina’s ankle, heading over to open it.

“Mina!” Dahyun gasped, running towards her boss.

“I’m okay.” Mina chuckled, patting her head.

“She needs rest.” Momo informed, as Jihyo walked in.

“I’ll see to that.” Jihyo responded firmly as Momo walked towards her.

“There’s no need to be so defensive. I have a partner already.” Momo smiled, gripping her shoulder.

Jihyo blushed, clearing her throat and thanking Momo for her help.

“I’m sorry it came off that way. I was just honestly worried about her. I pushed her a lot and I regret it.” Jihyo nervously confessed.

“At least you can make it up to her now.” Momo laughed. “Oh, speaking of my partner, there she is.” She pointed. “Chaengie, you’re here.”

Jihyo raised her eyebrows as she noticed Tzuyu’s best friend head their way, jumping into Momo’s arms. It was surely a surprise; Tzuyu would probably be mirroring her own feelings of shock.

Chaeyoung froze as she spotted her best friend, who had her arms crossed. “I can explain.”

“It’s okay. We’re even.” Tzuyu smirked, slipping her hand through Dahyun’s, who was grinning widely.

The six of them erupted in laughter, shaking their heads at the hilarious meet up. Tzuyu introduced Chaeyoung to Dahyun, who was then introduced to Momo, formally. Mina and Jihyo watched them from the side, feeling an ache in their chests as they watched the couples interact. Momo’s words echoed in Mina’s head and as much as she desired to act upon them, it would be too soon. They were tip toeing around each other right now. Neither of them knew what to do, but they appreciated the friendship that formed despite their enmity at the start.

“Let them be. I should take you up in our room.” Jihyo nudged Mina.

“What?” Mina gasped.

“… I’ll take you to our room?” Jihyo repeated, knocking on Mina’s head.

Before Mina had a chance to prepare herself, Jihyo had lifted her up in her arms, walking towards the elevator. She would’ve screamed, but then she’d be endlessly teased by Dahyun, for sure. She caught the eye of Momo as they entered the elevator. She offered a quick thumb up to Mina, who only facepalmed in response.

“Can you let me down?” Mina mumbled as the lift doors closed.

“No.” Jihyo firmly answered, refusing to meet Mina’s eyes.

“Your arms are going to hurt.” Mina pointed out.

“It doesn’t matter.” Jihyo shook her head.

“Why are you so stubborn?” Mina glared at her.

“Seems like you’re rubbing off on me already.” Jihyo joked as Mina pulled her ear. “Hey! Let go.” She whined in pain.

“Stop it.” Mina scolded.

“Look, we’re almost at our floor. Just a little longer, alright? I don’t want to put you down unless it’s on a bed. It’s the least I can do.” Jihyo offered.

“Wait, what do you mean the least you can do? Jihyo?” Mina asked as Jihyo turned away from her. She hesitantly let go of Jihyo’s neck to grab her face, pulling it towards her.

“I just want you to be okay.” Jihyo confessed, feeling the heat creep up her neck.

“I’m okay. Why are you worrying so much?” Mina pushed to question. Was she really asking this? What kind of answer was she expecting to hear from Jihyo?

“Because…”

The doors opened and the mood died down. The moment they had was destroyed because someone else had walked in the elevator. Mina hid herself against Jihyo’s neck, feeling uncomfortable with the staring. She was shaking in Jihyo’s arms, gripping on to her shirt tightly.

Jihyo’s concern shot up immediately and she figured out the trigger would’ve been from the person who just walked inside, joining the two of them.

“Do you mind keeping your eyes elsewhere?!” Jihyo snapped at the man who was staring in their direction.

“S-sorry.” He stuttered, facing the other way.

Mina’s grip on Jihyo’s collar loosened, and both of them calmed down a little bit. Jihyo rubbed Mina’s back in hopes of calming her down completely. The shaking was still present but Mina’s breathing was okay now; slower.

“Are you okay?” Jihyo asked.

“Mhmm.” Mina nodded, closing her eyes tightly.

Finally, they reached their room level and Jihyo walked out, not forgetting to shoot another glare at the man inside the elevator. It worried her that Mina got so frightened because of a man staring in her direction. At least, the shaking had stopped. In a room full of people, Myoui Mina was okay. But in a place where there was only one or two men, Mina was terrified.

Jihyo placed Mina down on the bed gently, crouching by her side. This need to protect her from harm and anyone who wanted to hurt her was escalating exponentially. She grabbed a bottle from their fridge, cracking it open to pass it over to Mina who gulped it down quickly.

“I think you should rest. You can’t change your dressing on your knee – but if you want to wash up, you can do that first.” Jihyo suggested.

“I’ll just go to the bathroom.” Mina whispered, stumbling, but managing to walk on her own.

“If you need anything…” Jihyo offered, earning a nod from Mina.

As Mina walked in the bathroom, Jihyo collapsed on the bed. Worried wouldn’t be enough to cover what she felt for Mina right now. Whenever Mina went through something terrible, it tore Jihyo’s insides apart. Her heart clenched in pain and fear. 

When that car brushed closely to Mina, Jihyo acted on reflex to pull Mina away. When that guy had held her hand and tried to drag her away at the fundraiser, Jihyo wanted to smash his head against a pole. When she went to visit Mina at her office and saw someone following Mina, Jihyo wanted to keep her away from everyone; she wanted to keep her safe. When she’d seen Mina hunched over at the side of the trek today, Jihyo wanted to smack some sense into herself… because _she_ was the reason Mina was in danger.

The person invading her thoughts came out of the bathroom and there was only one thing on Jihyo’s mind.

Why was it, that when she saw Myoui Mina, all she ever wanted to do was hold her close and protect her from the world?

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> why not add some jealous jihyo too :^)


	9. [009] - [how can you ask that so easily?]

Mina didn’t know what it was, honestly. There was a palpable aura in their room as soon as she’d walked out of the bathroom. Jihyo was staring at her in a way that seemed almost _predatory_. Would predatory be the term? She felt like her every move was being watched by the fellow CEO. She could feel the power exude from her, something that Mina had never experienced personally. She felt utterly drawn towards Jihyo.

Maybe it was the series of events that tied them together. Maybe it was the fact that Jihyo had saved her countless times. Maybe it was the way Jihyo’s gaze was always tender when they were on Mina. Or maybe, it was just her heightened emotional state. But Mina suddenly felt so overwhelmed – with Jihyo’s eyes on her and her own thoughts that were all over the place.

Jihyo found herself walking towards her, finally breaking Mina out of her daze as she grazed Mina’s jaw with her fingertips, inciting a gasp from the Japanese woman. Mina closed her eyes upon the touch, placing her hand over Jihyo’s as she cupped her cheek.

“I’m worried about you. I’m actually terrified.” Jihyo whispered.

There was an ache in her chest as Mina stood before her; powerless; but it was enough to make Jihyo feel weak. When people saw CEO Myoui Mina, they shivered from the cold façade she sported and refused to look her in the eye. When Jihyo saw the _true_ Myoui Mina, all she wanted to do was pull her in her embrace to protect her from the world, and kiss her senseless.

Because, Myoui Mina made Park Jihyo _irrational._

She stared Mina down, feeling the heat increase in the room. Mina’s eyes flickered to Jihyo’s lips for a mere second, and she would’ve missed it if she was looking elsewhere, but Jihyo had caught the action. She let out a shaky breath as she exhaled.

_Should they? Could they? What would happen if they did? Would it make things awkward? Would they go back to being acquaintances? Was Jihyo going to ruin everything right now? Was it a bad idea to follow her heart?_

“I think you think too much.” Mina mumbled, breaking Jihyo out of her thoughts.

“Mhmm? Then why don’t you stop me from doing that?” Jihyo smirked. 

She tested waters, leaning forward slowly, lips brushing against Mina’s teasingly. But Mina wasn’t having any of it, growing frustrated quickly. She wound her hand in Jihyo’s purple locks, planting her lips on Jihyo’s. Mina pulled at Jihyo’s shirt, successfully getting Jihyo to wrap her arms around her waist. She kissed her with a passion, igniting a fire in the wake of her kisses.

“Mina–” Jihyo whispered, as they parted, lips swollen and red, a sight that Mina engraved in her mind.

“Shh.” Mina pressed a finger to Jihyo’s lips. “Don’t.”

“But–”

“Stop it. You’re still thinking.” Mina frowned, swiping her thumb across Jihyo’s bottom lip.

She leaned forward, closing the distance between them again with more vigour, nipping at Jihyo’s lips as she led the kiss. Her mind was swarming with nothing but the woman in front of her and how they fit together perfectly. Mina walked forward slowly, leading the two of them backwards. She towered over Jihyo as her legs hit the edge of their bed, hands resting at the sides of her waist. 

Jihyo pulled back first, mere centimetres away, her hand gripping the back of Mina’s neck. “Are you sure?”

“Never more.” Mina smiled softly, stifling a gasp as Jihyo drew her down to kiss her once again.

\---

The pair were a tangled mess as the sun rose, tucked against each other with the bed sheet drawn across their shoulders. Mina’s head was burrowed against Jihyo’s neck, arms resting around her waist. Jihyo stirred awake first, eyes fluttering open and being greeted by the sight of a goddess in front of her. She could clearly see and count the moles that defined Mina and she traced them with the tip of her finger, gently, to not wake her up. 

Mina moved slightly, the sheet falling to her waist. A deep shade of red filled Jihyo’s cheeks as she noticed the bruises that littered her back, the memories from the night before invading her mind again. She knew she had an equal amount, possibly more on her own, but seeing it on Mina was something else. Just as she was going to raise the sheet to cover Mina, she woke up, making Jihyo panic.

“Hi.” Mina whispered, soothing Jihyo’s worries immediately as she intertwined her hand with hers.

“Hi.” Jihyo smiled, letting a sigh escape her lips as she calmed down.

“Breakfast?” Mina asked, earning a nod from Jihyo. She stretched, hearing her bones crack and she groaned in content. “Do we have to leave bed?”

“Mhmm. We can eat breakfast and come back if you like.” Jihyo suggested, gazing softly at Mina and kissing their intertwined hands.

“Is this bed really comfy or is it just that the break away from being CEO makes a huge difference?” Mina whined, carefully moving off the bed.

“Maybe a bit of both.” Jihyo chuckled, unaware of Mina’s eyes on her as she got up to change her outfit. “And it’s better for you to be in bed anyway.”

“Oh, really?” Mina teased, crawling on the bed towards Jihyo and hooking her chin over her shoulder. “Why would you say that?” She whispered.

Jihyo stiffened, hair rising with Mina’s whispering that filled her ears. She was losing control over herself and she was losing it fast. She let out a shaky breath before turning to face Mina and pushing her back gently. “Because, someone has an injured ankle. And you need to rest that ankle. Stay here.”

“I’m getting breakfast in bed?” Mina’s eyes twinkled in excitement, teasing Jihyo.

“I think so. I don’t want you moving around too much.” Jihyo grumbled, blushing and quickly pecking Mina’s cheek before running into the bathroom to wash up as she left to get breakfast.

Mina collapsed back on the bed as Jihyo left, shoving her face in her pillow as she rolled around. What was she to make of this, whatever it was that was between them? Clearly, so much had been building up between the two of them ever since they met. They’d come from hating each other’s presence to kissing, in just a little more than a week.

The feeling of being treated with so much care was foreign to Mina and she wanted more of it; not in a greedy way – just, it was so rare for someone to care about her without wanting something more. She knew that she should probably me more cautious around Jihyo, considering they are running enemy companies, but she can’t bring herself to hate her any longer after getting to know the person underneath.

In short, she was probably screwed.

She was still in bed when she heard Jihyo outside, making Mina jump off the bed and run into the bathroom with the sheet draped over her shoulders. When the door opened, Mina looked down and realised that she’d forgotten to bring in her clothes with her. Damn her brain. She groaned loudly at her misfortune. Now Jihyo would have to get them for her since she couldn’t go back out.

“Mina? Are you in the bathroom?” Jihyo asked.

“Mhmm. I’ll be out shortly.” Mina answered, searching her mind for a solution other than calling Jihyo.

“Why are your clothes outside?” Jihyo tried to stifle her laughter.

“Shut up! I just forgot them.” Mina growled from inside the bathroom.

“I didn’t say anything! Do you want them or not?” Jihyo teased.

“Hurry up and just pass it.” Mina grumbled, sticking her hand out of the door for her clothes.

Jihyo wanted to tease her further, but resisted, passing Mina’s clothes over to her before setting up their breakfast on their little balcony table. She didn’t know much of what Mina liked other than her love for ketchup, which she’d heard Dahyun talking about so she hoped Mina wasn’t allergic to anything she brought up to their room.

“Did you plan to feed an army?” Mina’s eyes widened as she saw the table full of food.

Jihyo just shrugged, pulling out a chair for Mina to sit on before moving to sit on the other end. The two settled into a comfortable silence, making small talk and avoiding the elephant in the room. Neither knew how to bring up the topic and neither wanted to be the one to say it.

“Let’s just do it.” Jihyo suddenly announced, making Mina choke on her next bite. She rushed to hand her a glass of water, patting her back to calm her down.

“What?” Mina asked, dabbing her lips.

“We need to talk about it Mina because it’s bothering me and I can’t handle this and it’s making me incredibly nervous which makes me ramble and I don’t think I can form a cohesive sentence anymore–”

“Shh.” Mina silenced Jihyo, placing her hand over her mouth. “I think I got the point.”

Jihyo laughed nervously, pulling Mina’s hand away from her mouth. Her heart was beating very fast in her chest as she tried to find the words to say. Never had she ever considered that she’d be sitting in front of Myoui Mina, planning on asking her if she’d like to be her girlfriend, in the entirety of her life.

“So… yesterday happened.” Jihyo started awkwardly, amusing Mina immediately. “Fuck, I can’t do this.” She groaned, fisting her hands.

“Do you want to date?” Mina threw forward, catching Jihyo off guard. She was smirking at Jihyo, embarrassing her further than she already felt.

“How can you ask that so easily?” Jihyo whined.

“What do you think was on my mind once you left? So, what’s your answer cutie?” Mina teased.

“Why cutie…” Jihyo mumbled, trying to hide her blushing cheeks.

“It’s amazing how you can be badass and leading everything one moment, but turn into mush the next.” Mina chuckled, leaning on her elbows to get closer to Jihyo’s face.

Jihyo couldn’t think with Mina’s close proximity. Why was she so close? Her mind was blanking way too much and she couldn’t even give her an answer. She was meant to be leading this but her confidence had withered completely and now Mina was in control.

“– Jihyo?” Mina snapped her fingers in front of Jihyo’s face.

“Huh? What?” Jihyo shook her head as she tried to recall what she blanked out on.

“I said–”

“That you’d date me.” Jihyo answered for Mina, surprising her. She chuckled as Mina blushed, smacking Jihyo’s arm.

“I was meant to ask!” Mina groaned, leaning her head against Jihyo’s arm.

“Hmm. I almost didn’t make it in time. Glad my brain started working. So, I’m finally the girlfriend of the most powerful Japanese CEOs?” Jihyo teased.

“I’m the only Japanese CEO!” Mina scoffed as Jihyo laughed at her cuteness.

As Mina sulked at her lost chance, Jihyo couldn’t help but squish her cheeks, pulling on them and cooing at her adorableness. Before her anger burst, Jihyo pulled Mina towards her, kissing her softy.

Myoui Mina had melted Park Jihyo’s heart completely and quickly invaded it too. She was as sneaky as they said she was, catching her off guard not in business, but where feelings were involved.

But Park Jihyo had not only changed Myoui Mina’s view of life completely, she flipped it over and made a mess of it. She snuck through the defences of her heart without a single alarm going off.

\---

Dahyun and Tzuyu were already informed of Jihyo and Mina’s ‘situation’ as they were approached by the Korean CEO when they headed down for breakfast. Actually, the two had been scarred the night before. They were going to check up on the pair after the visit to the doctor but once they approached the door, what they heard made them run the other way with blushing cheeks.

They just pretended to have no idea when Jihyo approached them when they were going to breakfast (with much difficulty of keeping a straight face). How were they going to see their CEOs the same way again? Neither of the two had spoken for a good ten minutes after the incident and it was a completely awkward situation to experience.

Dahyun was the one who broke the silence, talking about their audacity to say they had no interest in each other. Then, she got started on whining about Tzuyu’s lost innocence because of what she’d heard. Tzuyu had just shrugged it off as something she’d heard before, worrying Dahyun in the process. So, now, Dahyun was questioning Tzuyu on where she’d heard it but she wasn’t letting her know.

“Come on, we’ve been talking about this for so long! Why can’t you tell me?” Dahyun pouted as they sat outside on the grass.

“Hmm. Once you tell me why you need to know?”? Tzuyu retorted, earning an exaggerated sigh from Dahyun, who collapsed on Tzuyu’s lap.

“You’re really not going to say?” Dahyun sulked.

“I don’t think it’s very important. It’s not like it was a personal experience.” Tzuyu teased, making Dahyun hide her face in Tzuyu’s shirt.

Tzuyu heard Dahyun mumbled, unable to figure out what she was saying as her voice was muffled in her shirt. Surely, she was still whining about how it took her so long to say that when she could’ve been saved from the mental torture. She chuckled, running her hand through Dahyun’s hair as they rested on the grass.

“Actually… this is my first relationship.” Tzuyu confessed.

It was the first time she’d ever gone forth in a relationship. She was never interested and she never accepted confessions from others. Simply because no one had ever piqued her interest like Dahyun had. She just tumbled into her life and changed everything. Her bubbly attitude and the constant smile on her face to the teasing; she was so gentle and caring with her, how could she not find solace in her arms?

“No way.” Dahyun shot up, facing Tzuyu who was looking away. By her chin, she pulled Tzuyu back, cradling her cheeks. “That’s impossible for someone as pretty as you.”

Tzuyu blushed deeply with Dahyun’s sweet talking, slapping her shoulder. “Shut it.”

“It’s true. You’re seriously gorgeous. Inside and out.” Dahyun smiled, kissing Tzuyu’s forehead. “Oh my god, so I’m your first? That’s so much pressure to live up to!”

“Just stay the way you are.” Tzuyu confessed, playing with Dahyun’s fingers.

“What a complete softie.” Dahyun chuckled, intertwining their fingers.

“To be honest, I’ve never been able to be this open with anyone so fast. So, you’ve just wedged yourself in my life and ruined my life.” Tzuyu huffed.

“Psht. Ruined? Sure. I know you love my presence.” Dahyun smirked.

“Love? Don’t know about that.” Tzuyu stuck out her tongue before being suddenly pushed back.

Dahyun puckered her lips, leaning forward to kiss Tzuyu but she moved her head in time, making her kiss her hair. Thinking quickly, Tzuyu grabbed Dahyun’s cheeks again, knowing it was the only weakness she had.

“Let go of my cheeks!” Dahyun complained. They were starting to hurt a little bit.

“Where’s the fun in that?” Tzuyu teased, 

“Wait, but how the hell did you even hear anything like that if you haven’t been in a relationship?”

Tzuyu groaned, pushing Dahyun off her as she burst into laughter, glaring at her girlfriend. She couldn’t believe Dahyun was still asking about how she’d found herself in the situation she’d never want to be in again. She shuddered as she remembered, blocking it out of her mind.

“No, no, no. We’re not going back to that!” Tzuyu shook her head.

“That traumatising?” Dahyun laughed, rolling back on Tzuyu’s lap again.

“Why are you so curious about it, still?” Tzuyu groaned, leaning back against the tree stump.

“Well, I guess it doesn’t matter since you haven’t been with someone else so I don’t need to be jealous.” Dahyun explained, slapping her hand over her mouth.

“Ah, so the true reason was that you were jealous?” Tzuyu grinned, taking her chance to tease Dahyun.

“No…” Dahyun denied, hiding herself deeper into her hands.

“I can assure you, there’s nothing to be jealous about, alright? I’ve only ever received confessions from people, but never accepted them. It wasn’t until I met you where things changed.” Tzuyu laughed, pulling away Dahyun’s hands from her face. “Stop hiding. It’s okay to be jealous you know. I’m glad you are; even though it’s not really something to be jealous about.”

“… Okay, I get your point.” Dahyun conceded, huffing and turning back around to look up at the sky.

Tzuyu chuckled, raising her hand to cover the sun that was shining on Dahyun’s face, stopping her from squinting. She pulled on her cap, using it to shade the two of them as they continued to relax in the sun.

“Thank you.” Dahyun mumbled sincerely.

“I haven’t even done anything for you to thank me for. You, on the other hand, have done a lot more.” Tzuyu sighed, massaging Dahyun’s head.

“You don’t give yourself enough credit. The action doesn’t have to be physical for it to mean something. It can be an emotional thing as well. And you’ve done wonders.” Dahyun grinned.

“Why are we like this?” Tzuyu changed the subject, fearing the permanent stain on her cheeks.

“Because, it’s just a new thing for us both.” Dahyun rationalised, both of them erupting in laughter.

That might be a part of it, but they both knew that it wasn’t the only thing. It wasn’t just them being sappy, it was the connection they formed so quickly that caught them off guard; the fact that they could trust each other and lean on each other without thinking too much about it. Everything added up to why they were so comfortable and neither of them would want it any other way.

“Let’s go back into our room. We should ramen and chill.” Dahyun jumped up, pulling Tzuyu along with her, not leaving room for denial.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some fluff for you all :)))
> 
>  
> 
> \- you can find me on twitter @likeuwuahh


	10. [010] - [is it too tight?]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are some mature scenes in this chapter, but nothing explicit. Don't expect any smut :p

Much to everyone’s displeasure, the rest of the retreat went by too fast for them to realise. Jihyo kept Mina bedridden for the safety of her foot, refusing to let her take another step outside their room (maybe for some other reasons too). On the other hand, Dahyun and Tzuyu made the most of their freedom with the activities remaining. It was a break they really appreciated and they would definitely relay their gratitude to Nayeon once they got back.

Thinking about that… once they got back… would Myoui Enterprises and Park Industries be the same? In the world away from the cameras and the media, far from the publicity, Mina and Jihyo were lovers. When the entire business industry knew them as enemies, should they continue that façade or scrap it? Their lives would be thrown deep into chaos and they’d never have a moment to themselves again if they went public with their relationship. Not to mention the effect it would have on stock holders of both companies.

As the pair drove back to Mina’s place, their minds were turning with where they were meant to go from here. Unarguably, both of them knew that there would be repercussions of coming out to others about their dating lives. Sure, Jihyo would be fine with it and she was ready to move forward but she knew that Mina wasn’t on the same page – and that was more than okay with her. She didn’t want to push her to make a choice Mina wasn’t ready for. She would wait.

“What do you think?” Mina asked Jihyo, who was sitting in the driver’s seat next to her.

“Hmm?” Jihyo turned her attention to her girlfriend who was nervously playing with their intertwined hands. “Sweetheart, I just want the best for you. If you think that keeping us lowkey would be better, I understand. I don’t mind as long as you’re with me.”

Mina’s heart pounded in her chest at Jihyo’s pet name for her. It rolled off her tongue so smoothly, as if she’d been using it forever. She was still new to these things but Jihyo was clearly not, taking the lead so fast that left her a flushing mess.

“But I want you to think about this too. Your opinion matters.” Mina nudged.

For Mina, the problem was that her brother was still in the picture. And she hasn’t spoken about him to Jihyo either. She worried for Jihyo’s safety since the extent to which he wanted to dethrone Mina was largely increasing. If he ever found out about Jihyo’s presence in her life, there was no doubt he’d target her.

“Is there something worrying you?” Jihyo called for Mina’s attention, rubbing her thumb across Mina’s hand gently.

Jihyo’s worry deepened as Mina remained unresponsive, looking out the window as she frowned. Without taking another second to think, she pulled the car over, turning into a gravel path off the road. Mina was finally snapped out of her trance, turning to question Jihyo but the words refused to escape her lips as she locked gazes with her girlfriend.

“You’ve been lost in your own thought almost most of the ride back and it’s worrying. I know there’s something wrong. And I understand that you don’t want to tell me yet, but I just don’t want you to feel like you’re alone.” Jihyo sighed heavily.

Mina’s chest tightened knowing she’d worried Jihyo so much already. Offering a small smile, she slid her hand across the car console, slipping her right hand into Jihyo’s, squeezing lightly. It was meant to be encouraging, and Mina could feel some of the tension leave Jihyo’s figure as her shoulders relaxed. She felt ashamed that Jihyo was so trusting of her already, when she’d done nothing to show her the same treatment.

“I’m sorry I worried you already.” Mina started, placing her left hand over Jihyo’s as she tried to talk again. “I promise, it’s just work related. That’s all that I’m thinking about.” _Well, it wasn’t completely untrue. Her brother **was** related to work._

“Hmmm.” Jihyo squinted, trying to tell if Mina was lying. She couldn’t really tell, but she didn’t want to push it further so she let it be, dropping the conversation.

“Are you sulking?” Mina groaned. Jihyo was practically pouting in front of her and it was so adorable she wanted to squeal out loud.

“What? I’m not sulking.” Jihyo’s eyes widened at the accusation.

Mina leaned forward all of a sudden, making Jihyo shuffle back. There was only so much space she had to move away, and soon enough, she was stuck. Heat creeped up her neck and towards her cheeks as Mina grinned in front of her, Jihyo had to look away. But cold hands cupped her jaw, and she was facing Mina again. Without another word, she closed the distance between the two, pressing her lips against Jihyo’s.

It was a short and innocent kiss so Jihyo found herself chasing after Mina’s lips as she pulled back, making her chuckle. “We need to get back. It’ll be late.”

Jihyo grumbled, but resumed her driving, allowing Mina to let out a sigh of relief. She evaded the situation well to avoid more of her questions. It was just not the right time to tell Jihyo about her brother right now.

\---

Hours later, Jihyo had finally reached her own home, collapsing on her bed as soon as she saw it. She still had a huge grin etched on her face – all because of Mina. They’d spent a little more time together after Jihyo had dropped her home, just cooking dinner – but it brought them a lot closer already.

It went more like Jihyo burning herself and Mina having to take over. She may have over proclaimed that she had amazing skills in the kitchen, and it didn’t go so well. But the whole event was so domesticated, that Jihyo loved every single bit of it. It also ended with a scolding from Mina in terms of being safe around the kitchen but Jihyo was already too stunned by the sight of Mina in a low ponytail, tending to her reddening finger. It was really a sight to behold, and a dear one to treasure too.

It was the simple moments like this one that reminded Jihyo that after all the business shenanigans, they too, were ordinary people. Sometimes, she got too caught up in her work to realise how nice it is to have someone to come home to, or share their life with. Mina reminded Jihyo of this – the blissful feeling of sharing a meal together, light laughter being shared on the table and happiness radiating from the person you’re with.

She wanted more of it, and wanted to share these moments with Mina.

It was only when she wanted to send Mina a message about her thoughts, when Jihyo realised she left her purse back at Mina’s house. She also needed it for her meeting alarms for the next day – why was she so forgetful without Tzuyu? She drove off to Mina’s place to retrieve it, hoping the girl wasn’t asleep by the time she reached there.

To knock or to the ring the bell? It was late, but maybe Mina was asleep and wouldn’t hear the knocking. The bell may be too noisy for her too. Her indecisiveness was causing her to lose more time and she finally settled on doing both. She’d knock first, if having received no response, she would then resort to ringing the bell.

Jihyo raised her fist to the wooden door, knocking a few times. She felt the vibrations under her hand and it made her wonder if it was just loud, or Jihyo was feeling more because she was currently extremely nervous. She was about to knock a second time when she heard the fumbling of locks, and the door was opened.

Whether it was the night time and lack of sleep affecting her, or something else, Jihyo was taken aback by the sight of Mina in her round spectacles, finding the sight so beautiful and breath taking.

“Jihyo? What–”

Jihyo cut of Mina’s words, leaning forward and kissing her softly. This was definitely not why she came her but seeing Mina in her spectacles just affected her so much that she couldn’t help but act upon her feelings.

Mina smiled into the kiss as she wrapped her arms around Jihyo’s neck, walking backwards and pulling Jihyo through the door as she did so. Shutting the door with the heel of her foot, Mina found herself pushed against the door with Jihyo kissing her senselessly.

“Not that I mind you coming here and kissing me… which I have no idea why, but why are you here? It’s almost two in the morning.” Mina asked as she attempted to steady her breathing.

Jihyo chuckled as she looked upon Mina’s flustered face. “Well, I just got side tracked by your glasses.” She pointed towards the spectacles that adorned Mina’s face. “I forgot my purse here. I was about to message you and realised I must have left it here so I drove to you, hoping that you were awake.”

Mina smiled at Jihyo, before pulling her in for a hug. “Basically, you couldn’t message me, so you drove all the way out here.”

“You can put it that way, yes.” Jihyo laughed, caught off guard by Mina’s clingy nature. “Now, you tell me – why were you awake?”

“Some company work to do but I was too distracted to do that.” Mina confessed.

“Oh, really? What were you distracted by?” Jihyo teased, tapping on Mina’s nose.

“There’s been this really beautiful woman plaguing my dreams.” Mina played on, smirking.

“Do I have to be worried?” Jihyo asked.

“Well, she’s beautiful and very talented. She has a way with her words, and her lips.”

“If it was a dream, then how would you that she has a way with her lips?”

“They’ve caressed mine.”

“Tell me more.”

“Are you sure you want to know?” Mina whispered as her lips brushed Jihyo’s.

“It doesn’t have to be verbally expressed, now does it?” Jihyo tried to lean forward to close the gap, only for Mina to pull back.

“Not so fast.” Mina chuckled, pressing a finger to Jihyo’s lips.

Jihyo maintained her silence, watching Mina with an amused grin. Undeniably, she was seeing more and more sides of Myoui Mina, that she’d never seen before.

“Will you be okay if I do this?” Mina walked up to her with a black piece of cloth in her hands.

Raising an eyebrow at Mina’s question, Jihyo nodded, allowing the soft fabric to limit her sense of sight.

“Is it too tight?” Mina asked.

“No, it’s fine. Is this where your dreams have been going?” Jihyo teased.

“Shh. Less talking.” Mina covered Jihyo’s lips with her palm.

With her sight now limited, Jihyo’s ears perked up at the sound of Mina’s shoes, padding away from her.

“Are you really going to leave me here?” Jihyo called out as Mina walked away from her.

She could hear Mina laugh at her impatience from a distance but soon enough, Jihyo was left in silence.

Warm hands covered Jihyo’s, a few minutes later, and she let out a sigh of relief as the familiar smell of lavender wafted through her nose.

“Did you really think I was going to leave you there?” Mina chuckled, guiding Jihyo forward.

Jihyo smiled at the precious sound, nodding. They eventually stopped, and Jihyo’s nervousness reached a new height.

“I guess I’ll have to show you that I wouldn’t.” Mina whispered, tipping Jihyo’s chin up to press her lips against hers.

\---

Mina smiled as she woke up in the morning, taking in the beautiful sight of her girlfriend, who was still fast asleep. She traced her finger across Jihyo’s curves, brushing across her velvety skin which was littered with blotches of red marks, again. Mina had no recollection of what time they had both fallen asleep, voices of pleasure filling the room before exhaustion took a toll on them.

Her phone buzzed beside her, and Mina hesitated to pick it up, knowing it was just a message. But, the vibrations didn’t stop, so Mina grabbed it off the table, not wanting Jihyo to wake up just yet. She was caught off guard by the message spam, which was from none other than her secretary, Dahyun.

She frowned deeply as she read each message, worry building up inside her as she finished going through them. How had Mina not thought things through last night? She was stupid. A stupid thing she hadn’t considered and now Jihyo could possibly pay the price.

Outside, there were possibly thirty to forty media reporters.

They have been waiting for hours, according to Dahyun – who had actually messaged about it over an hour ago.

Apparently, someone gave the public an anonymous tip that Myoui Mina had brought someone home – brought a girl home. Mina couldn’t care less about what the public had to say about her life. They had no right to impose on her relationships and what she did outside of her company. Damn the media reporters and their greedy nature. They jumped at the chance to release gossip to the general public.

If she turned out the news, Mina knew she’d be plastered on every channel there was to exist. But, what affected her more was the fact that someone had obviously followed Jihyo here. Or, someone saw her come inside. Which means that either Mina had someone outside of her home, watching her – or someone had figured out that Jihyo was her girlfriend and followed her here.

But, seeing as Jihyo's name wasn't attached to hers on the news, Mina could probably say that they were unaware of who her mystery partner was. And that was enough for her to be okay right now, to be less worried about their situation. Though, that also meant that the press would be up on her whereabouts and everything she was doing… which was equivalent to seeing Jihyo less. Especially if she didn’t want to risk her safety further.

Mina was almost a hundred percent sure that this was her brother’s doing. He would stoop this low to release an anonymous tip to the public, that would be detrimental enough to pressure her to expose her relationship. But Mina was stronger than that, and wouldn’t falter. He wouldn’t win – because Mina won’t let him. Jihyo’s life was at stake here and it was nothing she was going to risk.

When Jihyo stirred awake next to Mina, she could already sense that something was wrong with the way her shoulders were hunched. Sleepiness eradicated in a mere minute, Jihyo was quick to sidle up to Mina to ask about her wellbeing. Mina looked like she was about to break apart; so fragile. She held the same sullen look when Jihyo had saved her outside the fundraiser weeks ago.

“Mina?” Jihyo gently called out, slipping her hand through Mina’s.

Maybe it was her voice, or the way she’d called her out so softly, but Mina broke down, crying softly as Jihyo pulled her into her arms. The latter could only attempt to console Mina as she shook, confusion filled in her mind, but no questions escaping her mouth.

“It’s frustrating. Is it so wrong to want to have a private life?” Mina whimpered, hiccupping through her tears.

As much as Jihyo wanted to push her on what she was talking about, she hesitated, patting Mina’s back while the other hand remained intertwined with hers.

“There are way too many reporters out there for you to go through the front door. I didn’t know this was going to happen and I hate that it did. I should’ve thought things through – I didn’t think someone was going to send in an anonymous tip–”

“Shh. Mina, breathe sweetheart.” Jihyo wiped away Mina’s tears as she silenced her self-blaming. “Do you think I wasn’t ready for something like this to happen? It’s okay if they’re here. It’s not your fault; please don’t blame yourself. I knew what I was getting into when I asked you to date me.” She tried to make Mina laugh. “The media is ugly and they’re annoying and I know they won’t leave you alone anytime soon so I understand. I will be with you, even if we can’t meet. Maybe we will find a way – I’ll contact Tzuyu about it. We’ll get through this, okay?”

Mina nodded, smiling through her tears.

“Do you have any way I can leave without being caught? Other than the main entrance?” Jihyo asked.

“There’s a back alleyway that can take you straight out to the main road. You can send the co-ordinates to your driver since it can’t be located through a direct GPS address.” Mina nodded.

“Okay, that’s good then. I’ll let Eugene know.” Jihyo sighed, placing a kiss on Mina’s head. “… Do you think I should leave now?”

“What kind of hostess would I be, if I didn’t at least offer you breakfast?” Mina questioned, looking up at Jihyo.

“Well, it’s understandable in this situation–”

“It was a rhetorical question, Park.” Mina covered Jihyo’s mouth with her palm.

“Are we back to surnames again, Myoui?” Jihyo mocked, pulling Mina’s palm away from her mouth.

“It just sounds good.” Mina shrugged. “Let’s go eat! I’ve almost forgotten the whole chaos outside.” She shook her head as she attempted to squirm out of Jihyo’s embrace.

“We shouldn’t let them affect what a wonderful time we had last night too, yes?” Jihyo teased, making Mina smack her arm. “We’re in this together, Myoui Mina. I promise you that I will not let anyone hurt you.”

But, that wasn’t the problem, for Mina.

Mina didn’t need protecting.

She had to be the one to make sure that no one hurt Jihyo.

In specific, her brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @likeuwuahh on twitter


	11. [011] - [tell me? do you have any other plans?]

As soon as Jihyo left her place, Mina sighed in relief. There was no doubt that there would be talks of stock plummeting in her company but she really didn’t want to think about that right now. Despite it not being a big scandal, Mina knew that the company shareholders would consider this as a problem that needed to be solved immediately.

Her phone chimed beside her and she grabbed it, feeling comforted knowing Jihyo had reached her home safely. She could calm down a little bit and take the chance to think about her problem. She had to head into work and fix this mess up as soon as possible, but that would mean Mina would have to get through the crowd of reporters. She didn’t have a choice about avoiding press like Jihyo did.

Dialling in Dahyun’s number, Mina hurriedly got dressed to leave her place.

“Good morning Miss Myoui.” Dahyun greeted over the phone.

“How’s it looking?” Mina nervously asked.

“The board members are all here. Stocks have dropped and we’re trying to see how much of a loss we’ve had. They’re waiting for you here.” Dahyun informed.

“Even… him?” Mina groaned.

“He was one of the first people, of course.” Dahyun replied, earning a sigh from Mina.

“I’ll be there soon. I’m leaving now.” Mina ended the call, grabbing a coat before heading towards her garage.

She gasped as she saw the large number of reporters crowded around her front gate. As soon as she exited, they all ran up to her car, demanding answers, checking for the unknown woman who would perhaps be in her car – only to be disappointed. Mina was grateful for her security guards, who cleared a path for her, allowing her to leave the premises safely.

Her mind dwelled upon Jihyo, and the situation she was probably in. Mina knew that keeping the news of her stocks drop out of public media would be difficult, but maybe, by some miracle, Jihyo wouldn’t find out.

Never mind, that miracle hadn’t happened.

Her car alerted her of an incoming call, which was from none other than Jihyo. She hesitated, but answered, expecting an earful from her.

But all she received was silence.

“Ji?” Mina called out.

“This was all because someone found out about us, right?” Jihyo’s spoke, voice sounding hoarse. Mina knew that she had cried, and not only a little bit, a whole lot. She felt the guilt rise in her, knowing she had been the one to make Jihyo cry.

“I’m sorry, I never thought this would happen.” Mina apologised sincerely.

“It’s not that, oh my god Mina. How are you? I know you didn’t want this to be out there and now because of a rash decision I made, you’re stuck in this spot. It’s all my fault for coming over to your house so late at night without thinking about the consequences. I’m sorry about it all.” Jihyo expressed her regret.

“No, there’s no blaming going on here. It’s not your fault. It’s… something else. I need to talk to you about it soon, in person. I don’t know when I’ll be able to but I promise I will when I meet you.” Mina hinted about her brother.

“I know you’ll talk to me when you’re ready and I understand. I can wait. Just… don’t skip meals and take care of yourself, hmm? I don’t want to hear that you’re not taking care of yourself.” Jihyo replied.

Mina could tell Jihyo was smiling as she talked, and that was enough for her to grin as well. It was so damn contagious.

“You take care too. I’ll talk to you soon. I’m at the office now. Lo– looking forward to seeing you soon. Bye Ji.” Mina hung up as she turned into her car parking lot.

Dahyun greeted her as soon as she exited her elevator to her office, walking by her side as Mina headed towards their meeting room.

“Are you okay?” Mina asked Dahyun, who looked absolutely terrified.

“W-what? Why are you asking me that? Aren’t _you_ terrified?” Dahyun stammered.

The tension in that meeting room was so high that Dahyun had to leave it because she couldn’t breathe inside there anymore. They were all looking so intimidating and then amongst those shareholders, was Mina’s brother, who looked smugger than she’d ever seen him. It was enough for Dahyun to know, he was the culprit behind this entire mess. It didn’t come off as a surprise to her, and she was sure it didn’t surprise Mina as well.

“I’m not terrified. At most, they’ll give me time to fix things. I’ll get an earful first, though. I managed to win their faith in me, so they won’t disregard me so quickly. But, it is a big dent to my reputation. If I don’t fix things in time, I _will_ lose my job – they’ll give it to my brother.” Mina sighed heavily, looking at their surroundings for any prying ears. “Also, I need you to do me a big favour.”

Dahyun nodded, immediately knowing what Mina was talking about without her saying anything. She opened the door to the meeting room for Mina, watching them all stand up in respect towards the owner of the company, before leaving the room.

Time to meet Tzuyu.

\---

Dahyun felt on edge as she sat in Mina’s private car, gaining special permission from her boss to tell the driver to take her. She’d _only_ met Tzuyu every day this week, but, she couldn’t wait to see her again. Of course, today’s meeting was under different circumstances as it was a lot more serious. However, being in Tzuyu’s arms made Dahyun a lot less worried for everything that was going on right now.

“We’re here.” The driver announced.

She’d messaged Tzuyu about her arrival as soon as she entered the secluded café, greeting the owner. Dahyun trusted her, and hoped that everything would be fine when Tzuyu came in to talk to her. As long as she didn’t walk in with Jihyo, everything _should_ be fine. One of the top business women in the country coming into a café? Of course, it would attract plenty of attention.

Dahyun fiddled with the zip on her sleeve as she patiently waited for Tzuyu to arrive. She was still pre-occupied by the worries of leaving Mina alone in their company meeting room. She knew Mina would have it under control but it wasn’t her that bugged Dahyun; it was her brother. That smirk of his was etched into her brain and it had her completely terrified of what he could be conspiring next. The drop of the company was a big blow to Mina’s credibility. Actually, it would have been fine if the damage wasn’t so high – but, the public are so critical of the fact that Mina could be distracted by this “girl” that stocks had dropped immensely.

It would be almost impossible to get back up from this fall.

Mina’s brother had hit hard after his continuous failures and now, Mina was suffering. There was only one way things would work out and that was if someone invested into the company. But Mina has high pride – so she was going to try and work through this on her own. Dahyun hadn’t suggested her option because she knew Mina would reject it immediately. Her company was built up through her hands, and she would definitely not give up on it on her own.

She was terrified and she was worried; guilt was eating her up. She wanted to do something to fix Mina’s situation, or help her – or do her job properly, but she couldn’t even do that. Dahyun’s mind was all over the place. Mina didn’t deserve any of what she was going through. She’d worked hard her whole life and it all had come crashing down because of one rumour.

The seat next to Dahyun was suddenly taken up, and she raised her head to find Tzuyu’s worried gaze. Opening her arms, Dahyun immediately allowed herself to sink into Tzuyu’s embrace, feeling secure with her tight grip around her waist. She knew her girlfriend had questions, but Tzuyu kept them to herself, understanding that Dahyun would tell her when she was ready to.

Dahyun let out a shaky breath as she tried to form a proper sentence, or even a few words. Tzuyu continued to pat her back, rubbing circles that managed to calm her down a little bit. She felt the light kisses being pressed against her head and Dahyun felt a whole lot better. She pulled back first, receiving a gentle kiss on her forehead as she leaned back against the chair.

“Let’s order something to eat, okay? I’m sure you didn’t eat anything since breakfast.” Tzuyu suggested, intertwining Dahyun’s hands with her own.

Dahyun nodded gratefully, thinking about how to broach the topic she was meant to talk about. Tzuyu’s thumb brushed against the top of her palm gently, encouraging her to take her time.

“Come here.” Tzuyu mumbled, raising her arms as she saw Dahyun’s shaking figure. “I know there’s a lot you’re thinking about right now. You don’t have to say anything yet; I won’t push you – but I’m glad you called me out.”

Taking another deep breath, Dahyun was finally ready to talk about everything. She knew Tzuyu was worried about her right now.

“Mina–Mina is in trouble Tzuyu. A lot of trouble.” Dahyun muttered. “The photos caused stocks to drop down a whole lot. Shareholders are considering appealing to remove her from power. Though they only have fifty percent of the company, things can escalate.”

“No wonder you’re so worried.” Tzuyu sighed. “Do you want me to tell Jihyo? Or would it be better to keep it to myself…? I know if she heard about it, she’d jump in and want to help immediately.” She contemplated.

“Honestly, there’s a high possibility that Jihyo probably already knows. But, the thing is that Mina wants to talk to Jihyo and meet up with her. I’m unable to think of a deserted location for the two of them where things will be between just them. There’s something they need to talk about urgently. They can’t discuss this directly at the moment – so it’s up to us to help them out.” Dahyun planned, closing her eyes as Tzuyu ran her fingers through her hair.

“It feels kind of weird setting up our bosses.” Tzuyu spoke out her thoughts, making Dahyun chuckle. “I have a place on the outskirts of town. No neighbours and it’s a hidden driveway.”

Dahyun raised an eyebrow at her girlfriend, wondering why she had no clue of this special place and its existence.

“Don’t give me that look. I only go there a few times a year when I want to take my mind off things, or need a break. But, I have you with me now so I don’t go there anymore.” Tzuyu confessed, blushing.

Her girlfriend smiled brightly at her, and Tzuyu felt a swell of pride in being able to turn Dahyun’s mood around. That smile was precious, and she was glad she was on the receiving end of it.

“Thank you.” Dahyun whispered, placing her lips upon Tzuyu’s. She hoped she could express her gratitude and appreciation and love through the kiss, because Tzuyu was the best thing to happen to her.

\---

Upon receiving Tzuyu’s message regarding Mina, Jihyo immediately drove off to the coordinates provided to her by her secretary. Actually, ever since her conversation with Mina this morning, Jihyo had been extremely worried about the outcome of their situation. Not only that, she also saw the big tumble of the stocks of the company. The media had done their part in tarnishing the company’s reputation.

Jihyo was aware of Mina’s pride, and she was aware that she’d want to fix everything on her own. She’d figured that out when Mina refused to let Jihyo pay for their dates every time. And with her company being her prized possession, Jihyo was worried that Mina may not want external help – external help that she absolutely needed. She had a plan to help her, she just needed to talk it through with Mina and hope for the best.

When she arrived at the location Tzuyu had given her, Jihyo made sure her driver left the premises to ensure no one suspected anything. After all, Jihyo had a super flashy car that would be able to be seen from miles away. A few minutes later, she heard a car travel up the gravel driveway, and Jihyo double checked who it was, seeing Mina looking around their location carefully.

Mina was pulled into Jihyo’s embrace as soon as she was within arm’s reach, a sigh of tiredness escaping her lips as she returned it.

“Inside?” Jihyo asked, earning a nod from Mina. She broke the embrace, but held onto Mina’s hand, pulling her inside of the house. “Let me make a cup of tea for you.”

“Ji, it’s fine. Let’s talk first.” Mina stopped Jihyo, pulling on their intertwined hands.

Jihyo sat down opposite Mina, curiosity peaking now. She wanted to check if Mina was okay first, but if she wanted to talk instead, there was nothing she could do.

“I told you I wanted to keep us a secret. But, that wasn’t because of how it would affect the company.” Mina started. “When I took over the company from my parents after they had passed, I was immediately placed into the position of CEO. That too, was after careful consideration from the other shareholders. In the middle of it all, there was one person who was deeply against me being the CEO. My brother.”

Mina took a deep breath as she got to the main point of their meeting.

“He hated me. He hated that I got all of the stocks from the company from my parents. He wanted to sabotage me countless times. Even when we were younger, he’d try to get me into trouble. But, over the past year, things have escalated. He – he’s tried to bring down the company and my image with it. He’s send people after me to hurt me. Remember? That time we were in the car park when we were going to meet Nayeon? The car that had driven really fast and you pulled me back? That was one of those times. And also, that time you were at my work late at night? Someone was following me then.” Mina reminded.

Jihyo nodded, remembering the moments as if they were yesterday. “Even that time at the show?”

Mina nodded. That was one of the worst memories she had. “He… is also most likely the reason why the public knew about the “girl” who left my place. The company is at a new low. And, I can’t get you involved in this mess. If he were to know how close you were to me, he’d target you. I can’t risk that. I can’t risk the possibility of losing you and I can’t endanger you like that Jihyo.”

A sob escaped her throat, and Mina broke down into tears, covering her face with her hands. She hadn’t wanted to think about the possibility, but now all of her feelings were laying down on the table. “If I lose you… If I lose you, I don’t know if I can deal with that. He won’t hesitate to hurt you, I know it. He’s been trying to find any weaknesses I have for a long time. Something he can exploit. You… you are the weakness. My weakness.”

Jihyo shifted from her seat, sitting next to Mina and pulling her hands away. She wiped away Mina’s tears, and her own. Her heart constricted in her chest upon seeing Mina this way. She had gone through so much more than Jihyo ever would have expected. She just appreciated her more, and more.

“Mina, Mina, Mina.” Jihyo chanted, kissing away all of Mina’s remaining tears, before capturing her lips. “I will be okay. I will be okay because you’re by my side. I will not let anything happen to you, and you’re not losing your company. You’re going to show that brother of yours that you will never give up. I will never let that happen.”

“No, you’re not doing what I think you’re going to do.” Mina shook her head.

“Tell me, do you have any other plans? If you have anything, tell me now. I want to be there for you. If we do this, we will both benefit. I don’t care about what anyone else will say Mina. Merge with me. It will get all of those shareholders off your back.” Jihyo pleaded.

“That will completely ruin your company Jihyo. Are you insane? You can’t sacrifice that.” Mina strongly denied, wanting to smack her girlfriend for even suggesting such a thing.

“Mina, please, let me be the one to take care of you this time. I know I’m doing the right thing – it won’t ruin my company. It will protect you, and that’s what matters most.” Jihyo bent down in front of Mina, holding her hands. “We work together, we will overcome this together.”

“Jihyo–”

Her next words were cut off by the shrill sound of both of their phones ringing in unison. Mina frowned as she saw the number dialled in the phone, looking up to see Jihyo sporting the same look. Without any more hesitation, the duo answered their respective phones.

“Am I speaking with Miss Myoui?” The person over the phone asked.

“Yes, that’s me.” Mina answered.

“You were listed as the emergency contact for Kim Dahyun. She’s currently admitted into hospital in intensive care.”

Mina gasped upon hearing the situation Dahyun was in.

“Can I ask what happened?” Mina questioned as she scrambled to get her things, Jihyo following her too.

“The doctor can give a more detailed explanation when you arrive. But, what I can tell you, is that she was in a car accident. She was T-boned by a speeding car, twice.”


	12. [012] - [are you okay?]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> unedited

Mina’s eyes were red from crying as she rubbed away the tears that endlessly fell. The paws of her sweater were soaked through as she struggled to find something to wipe them all away. As she stood outside Dahyun’s room, observing her from the window of her room, she couldn’t help the guilt that continued to pile on her mind and heart.

She’d sped all the way to the hospital after receiving the call from the hospital, with Jihyo tagging along in her own car. Tzuyu had sustained injuries being in the same car as Dahyun, but for some reason Dahyun had received the brunt of the damage. Tzuyu’s situation wasn’t as critical, just some cuts and stitches required from the shattered glass of the windows of the car. But regardless of the little injuries, Mina had seen the worry all over Jihyo’s face as soon as she heard the news and she’d had a lot of difficulties pushing Jihyo to check on Tzuyu rather than stay by her side as she waited for news about Dahyun.

She sighed as she looked upon Dahyun’s battered and bruised figure. She looked so tiny in the hospital bed and Mina couldn’t help the fresh set of tears that threatened to fall, blinking rapidly to keep them at bay. It was weird to see Dahyun in such a position, unable to share her radiating happy energy that spread like a virus.

When would Mina be able to see that again?

It angered her that someone had taken that away from Dahyun. It angered her that someone had hurt Dahyun.

Dahyun who always worried about her, took care of her and her mistakes and stood by her. Dahyun who hated being the centre of Mina’s affections but accepting it because she craved an escape from the loneliness that she lived through.

Having no family, Dahyun only had Mina as her close friend, and now, Tzuyu too – but the fact remained that Mina failed to protect her own secretary, her friend. It was undoubtedly her fault that Dahyun was in that condition, struggling to hold on to her life. She slid down the wall of the hospital, holding her head in her hands. Her sobs slowly became louder, her own hand wasn’t enough to muffle them.

A warm hand slipped through Mina’s, scaring her. Her sobs turned into hiccups as Jihyo sidled up to her, wiping Mina’s hands with wet wipes, before intertwining their hands together. Mina watched her with curiosity as Jihyo turned to face her, wiping away the remnants of the tear tracks left behind from her breakdown.

“She’ll pull through.” Jihyo comforted, earning a nod from Mina, who hesitantly decided to lean her head on Jihyo’s shoulder.

Jihyo squeezed their intertwined hands, encouraging Mina to come closer as she wrapped her other arm around Mina’s shoulders to keep her close.

“It terrifies me Jihyo. This couldn’t have been just an accident. It was an attempt to hurt me–if it wasn’t Dahyun…” Mina rambled.

“Shh. Don’t think of anything else right now, you’re here. Dahyun **will** pull through. She will get better and it will be okay. Don’t blame yourself. I’m sure Dahyun wouldn’t want you to do that either. It was unforeseeable.” Jihyo stopped Mina’s thoughts from wandering further.

From everything Mina had told her before this had unfolded, it was easy to suspect that it was her brother who was behind this. How can such a selfish person exist? Especially someone who is your sibling? But, Jihyo also understood how cutthroat the business industry was. People did crazy things when they saw power, and it was probably the main trigger for Mina’s brother, other than his lack of attention from their parents.

Jihyo didn’t like the fact that Mina was in constant danger. Her brother wasn’t going to stop until Mina was off the CEO throne of their company – or until he _killed_ Mina. But that would definitely not happen under Jihyo’s watch. There was no way her would get her hands on her now.

“Ji?” Mina mumbled, gaining Jihyo’s attention from her downwards train of thought.

“Hmm? Are you okay? Is anything wrong?” Jihyo bombarded. Mina smiled a little bit at the concern that Jihyo showered on her, taking the time to notice the tiredness present on her face.

“How’s Tzuyu? I’m sorry I never asked. Does she know about Dahyun?” Mina asked, massaging Jihyo’s hand lightly.

Jihyo let out a sigh as she tried to think of how to explain Tzuyu’s situation without worrying Mina. There wasn’t anything major wrong with her, but she was extremely distraught with Dahyun’s situation and her inability to go see her.

“Injury wise, she’s picking up already. Though, she wouldn’t rest… so they had to give her a dose of general anaesthesia to settle her down. She’s visibly distressed about Dahyun’s situation and the lack of news about how she is doing is affecting her immensely.” Jihyo sighed, leaning her back on the wall behind her.

“I’m sorry.” Mina apologised, unable to stop the doubling guilt.

“It’s not your fault. Please, Mina.” Jihyo pleaded, cupping Mina’s cheeks and leaning her forehead against hers.

“I can’t help it. I brought you into this mess now too – Tzuyu wouldn’t even be in this situation if we hadn’t met and this could have all been avoided.” Mina shook her head.

“Hey. I don’t know about you, but I’m grateful for meeting you and getting to know you. God knows what stuck up view I’d have had of you if I hadn’t.” Jihyo attempted to lighten up the atmosphere, and succeeding, as Mina laughed at her words.

Jihyo had really meant her words. She was glad she met Mina, even though they’d had a rough start. She’d have still been in her bubble at work, believing that Myoui Mina was the worst person to walk the earth, someone heartless and ruthless.

But, here Myoui Mina was, praying for the safety of her secretary’s health.

“You are precious. You are important. And you will definitely not chase me away. Dahyun’s situation will not happen again. You are not going to blame yourself for this. Once she recovers, we’ll think of what to do. But please Mina, I don’t want to hear you say that you brought me into a mess.” Jihyo warned, pulling Mina into a hug. “Well, unless it’s your bed, then that’s acceptable.” She added.

Mina shook her head, slapping her shoulder but appreciative of Jihyo’s presence and attempts to lift up her mood when she, herself, was worried about her own secretary.

Jihyo hummed softly as Mina tucked her head against her neck. She rubbed her back, pressing light kisses to Mina’s head that made her sigh softly, relaxing in the safest embrace.

\---

An hour, or two, or three may have gone by. Mina had fallen asleep after a little bit, covered with Jihyo’s grey overcoat she’d pulled over her shoulders. She’d wake up when she’d hear a flurry of footsteps, only to be disappointed and tiredly fall back asleep.

Jihyo carefully lifted her off the floor, carrying her over to the spare hospital bed next to Dahyun. They’d brought it in for Mina after Jihyo persisted that she rest there, but was immediately refused by the Japanese CEO. Though, now that she was asleep, Jihyo had no fear of being on the receiving end of curses and slaps.

She wanted to go back and check on Tzuyu, but she also didn’t want to leave Mina alone. Jihyo reached for her phone, hesitatingly sending a message to someone she thought could help. She was unsure about whether it would be read, but it didn’t hurt to send it.

Her worries were quelled when two girls quietly walked inside the hospital room, afraid to make noise that would wake up Mina.

“Thank you for coming.” Jihyo was almost in tears as Nayeon and Sana walked inside the room.

“No, thank you for calling us.” Nayeon shook her head, patting Jihyo’s back. “The perimeter is secured for precautions, I hope you don’t mind.”

“I’m very grateful. It already meant a lot that you took time out to come here.” Jihyo said with much sincerity.

“We’re indebted to you two anyway, after everything you did for us. It’s the least we can do for you right now. Now, I don’t want to hold you back longer.” Nayeon smiled, moving out of the way.

Sana, on the other hand, looked like she was about to burst into tears herself, immediately hugging Jihyo tightly.

“I’m really sorry about the two of them. We’ll keep an eye on Mina and Dahyun, so you don’t have to worry. Be careful.” Sana frowned as she pulled away.

Jihyo nodded. “If she wakes up, just let her know I’ll be with Tzuyu for a little bit before returning.” She informed the duo, who smiled at her in acknowledgement before ushering her out the door.

With hurried steps, Jihyo headed towards Tzuyu’s room, which was a mere minute away. They’d tried to get the closest room to Dahyun as possible but it was still far, in Tzuyu’s eyes. Tzuyu bolted upright as soon as Jihyo walked in, as if she’d been waiting for a while for her to come.

“How is she?” Tzuyu immediately asked, worry present on her face.

Jihyo sighed, pushing Tzuyu back down on the bed. “She’s stable. You need to rest Tzuyu. You’re overthinking about everything. Wouldn’t you want to recover faster so that you can actually visit her in her room rather than stay here? Are you feeling better at least?”

Tzuyu looked like a wounded puppy as she was scolded by Jihyo, nodding silently without an argument.

“Wait, if you’re here, who’s with Miss Myoui? Isn’t she in danger? She has–”

“Tzuyu.” Jihyo warned again, quietening Tzuyu in an instant.

Tzuyu sighed heavily, almost sulking now.

“Miss Im and her secretary are there with her. She will be fine.” Jihyo rolled her eyes at Tzuyu’s shocked reaction. “Are those answers enough for you? Get some sleep now. I’ll come to you immediately if there’s any news with Dahyun, okay? And next time I come by, you better eat all of the food on that plate!”

“Hey, it doesn’t taste good!” Tzuyu whined, pushing the table of hospital food away.

“Well, the less you eat, the longer it will take for you to recover – which means it’ll be even longer until you’re able to see Dahyun.” Jihyo shrugged, knowing she had successfully convinced Tzuyu to finish her meal.

After seeing proof of Tzuyu’s completion of her meal, Jihyo was satisfied, humming in approval. Exhaustion was catching up to her, eyelids dropping until they finally closed. Jihyo snickered as she looked at the empty plates on Tzuyu’s tray, pushing it out of the way so Tzuyu could rest with ease.

“She’s still such a baby.” Jihyo spoke to herself as she left Tzuyu to return back to Mina.

She was welcomed with the smell of fried chicken as she entered the room, surprised to see Mina wide awake and chatting to Sana. Nayeon seemed to have been waiting for Jihyo’s return as she got up as soon as she walked in.

Mina turned to look at Jihyo, indicating with her finger to come towards her.

“Eat.” Mina commanded, pointing to the box that was placed between Nayeon and Sana.

“When was the last time you both had something to eat?” Sana questioned in worry.

“Let’s leave it at the fact that it’s been a while.” Jihyo sheepishly answered, receiving glares from both Nayeon and Sana.

“Once you’re done, I’d like to talk to you about something. Don’t rush though. Please eat a lot.” Nayeon grumbled.

“Thank you, again.” Jihyo ducked her head, diving straight into the meal.

“Is Tzuyu okay?” Mina asked as she helped herself to another piece of chicken.

“Mmm. She’s asleep now. Any progress with Dahyun?” Jihyo responded, looking towards her resting form.

“Actually, she showed signs that she was gaining consciousness. She moved her finger twice, and balled her hand up into a fist another time.” Mina nodded. “Honestly, I could swear she only reacted when Sana brought in the chicken.”

The four of them laughed upon the insinuation that the smell of the chicken had managed to make a difference in Dahyun’s recovery. Well, it could have been true. Dahyun has always loved eating fried chicken.

“See? You had nothing to worry about.” Jihyo nudged Mina, who only flushed in embarrassment. “She’s a fighter – she has to be if she’s dating Tzuyu.”

Mina rolled her eyes at Jihyo this time, unable to believe how savage she could be towards her secretary when she felt like it. She reached over to intertwine their hands as Jihyo finished off her food. Mina received a questioning glance from Sana, who only smiled widely upon the fact that Mina was avoiding eye contact with her.

“Did you want to talk about something Miss Im?” Jihyo asked as she got up, hesitatingly letting go of Mina’s hand.

“We’re not in public Jihyo; why are you referring to me formally?” Nayeon chuckled, walking outside.

“Just a habit.” Jihyo sheepishly admitted, shuffling after the Korean girl.

As Jihyo and Nayeon went outside, Sana sought her chance to talk to Mina about everything that had conspired ever since they’d last met at the fundraiser. It had been months, so she might have been a little bit scared of how well her enthusiasm would be received by the stone-faced CEO.

“Are you feeling better?” Sana asked, feeling her heart almost jump out of her chest as Mina turned to stare at her.

“You don’t have to look at me like that. I don’t bite.” Mina chuckled softly.

Sana exhaled heavily as soon as Mina had said those words, resting her hand on her chest.

“Did I really scare you that much?” Mina questioned, raising an eyebrow as Sana attempted to downplay her fear.

“No? Definitely not.” Sana denied, shaking her head.

“You’re a terrible liar.” Mina laughed out loud, making Sana whine in embarrassment. She patted the seat next to her, indicating for Sana to sit beside her. “Tell me something about yourself Sana. I think I need to be distracted for a little bit.”

Without hesitation, Sana nodded, jumping straight into a story about her past that had led her to meet Nayeon. Mina listened attentively, unable to ignore the excitement that laced Sana’s voice as she talked about Nayeon.

“Wait a second. If you’re Minatozaki Sora’s daughter, how come you’re working as someone’s secretary?” Mina remained confounded.

Minatozaki Sora was one of the leading men of the business industry. His name resided beside the top achievers across the world; someone both herself and Jihyo admired.

“There’s a long explanation for that. Maybe I’ll tell you about it in the future.” Sana smiled, and Mina knew she was trying to hold on to her feelings that were becoming to overwhelm her.

“I’m sorry I asked.” Mina apologised sincerely. She hadn’t meant to cross a line – she was just extremely curious and it had slipped out of her mouth without any filter.

“Really, it’s fine. I promise I’ll tell you about it.” Sana nodded, quelling Mina’s worries.

\---

When Jihyo followed Nayeon out the hospital room, she knew whatever she wanted to discuss was related to the accident that had occurred earlier. There was worry evident on Nayeon’s face, and Jihyo was touched that Nayeon felt that way about them. It was more than enough for her to come all the way to the hospital to keep an eye on Mina – she was only expecting to see Sana.

It was risky maintaining friendships in the business world, but Jihyo knew that Nayeon and Sana were different from the other vultures that lingered around her side just for the sake of her power. It was a powerful bond that she’d formed with Nayeon, and she was going to keep it that way.

“There’s something I wanted to ask you about the accident. Did you perhaps have the damaged vehicle in your custody?” Nayeon gnawed on her bottom lip as she worriedly asked Jihyo.

“It was Mina’s car, so it’s in her garage. Is there a reason you’re asking?” Jihyo answered. Had Nayeon possibly sought out a possibility to finding out the culprit behind the accident?

“I told this to Sana and Mina too – it was definitely a purposeful accident. Someone had wanted to cause that much pain. I looked into the intersection where it took place; the person was wise enough to know that there were no surveillance cameras nearby. But, if Mina’s car has a dashboard camera, there could be a possibility that we could find out who the person was, or see the car that hit theirs.” Nayeon suggested.

Of course! The dash camera was fitted into every latest model of the cars that Mina specially ordered for herself.

“Her car has one, yes.” Jihyo nodded, radiating with happiness at Nayeon’s suggestion.

“You have to get your hands on that as soon as possible. The attacker, if not hired, would be after that. I’d encourage you to collect it and the media files on the camera before anyone else gets their hands on it and deletes whatever is on it.” Nayeon advised.

Jihyo sighed heavily.

Mina wouldn’t leave the hospital until Dahyun had at least gained consciousness, and even when that did happen, it would take a lot of convincing to get her to leave with someone by her side, to protect her. Perhaps Tzuyu could stay by Dahyun’s side while she took Mina to retrieve the memory card from her car.

“Is there a problem?” Nayeon frowned.

“Just wondering how to get her out of that room without her refusing immediately.” Jihyo groaned.

Nayeon laughed before patting Jihyo’s shoulder. “I’m sure you’ll find a way. She seems a lot lighter now too.”

Jihyo looked through the window of the room to see Mina laughing carelessly with Sana by her side. It was enough to make her smile as well.

“Yeah, thank you a lot, Nayeon. I wouldn’t have seen that if you hadn’t come here.” Jihyo smiled gratefully.

“It’s our pleasure, really.” Nayeon nodded, walking back inside the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @likeuwuahh on twitter ;)


	13. [013] - [how do you think i'll fare?]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> unedited

The first thing Dahyun felt when she woke up, was the excruciating pain that radiating through her entire right side of her body. God, it felt like someone had stuck countless knives in her body, twisting it. She felt like she was on fire, the pain increasing as she tried to move to make herself comfortable. It only made her feel worse and she gave up with a huff. How long had she been in hospital for already?

She gritted her teeth to ignore the pain, instead taking the time to distract herself by looking at her surroundings. Mina and Jihyo were sleeping on the bed beside her, tucked against each other so tightly, Dahyun wondered if they even had any space to breathe. But then again, the beds are so tiny, she was sure they had to sleep that way to make sure no one fell of the bed during the middle of the night.

Dahyun only realised the figure beside her when she turned, feeling soft breathing on her left hand. She frowned as she looked at the cuts on the edge of Tzuyu’s eyebrows, along with the bruise fading along her cheekbone. She’d tried to protect Tzuyu as much as she could, but clearly Dahyun hadn’t done a good job. Though, she was safe and not in a condition like Dahyun, at least.

A smile formed on her lips as she saw her girlfriend sleeping with her mouth hanging open, fingers lightly intertwined with Dahyun’s. She hesitantly brushed Tzuyu’s hair out of her face, releasing a sigh in relief with the absence of any other injuries. She really was okay.

Maybe Dahyun laughed too loud at the sight of her sleeping, but Tzuyu stirred away mere moments later, eyes widening upon seeing Dahyun awake.

“You’re awake!” Tzuyu shouted, consequently waking up Mina and Jihyo, who shot up at hearing Tzuyu’s scream.

She quickly pushed the buzzer for the nurses, who arrived almost immediately after Tzuyu had pressed it.

“How are you feeling? Do you need me to get you anything? Uh, I should probably move away.” Tzuyu panicked making Dahyun chuckle with her behaviour.

“Water.” Dahyun hoarsely asked. Tzuyu gasped at the request, from the lack of considering getting it already and Mina and Jihyo had looked towards her with amused grins.

Dahyun winced as she was raised up on the bed, Tzuyu by her side in an instant with a cup of water in her hand.

“Drink slowly.” Tzuyu commanded, earning an eye roll from Dahyun.

She drank it in a little too greedily, choking towards the end. Dahyun offered a sheepish smile to Tzuyu, who was now glaring at her for not listening to her about being careful, but shook her head and remained silent instead.

“Miss Dahyun, it’s great to finally see you awake!” The doctor greeted with a big smile.

“Momo?” Dahyun was taken off-guard by the presence of Tzuyu’s best friend’s girlfriend.

The other three girls laughed at Dahyun’s reaction, already having met Momo earlier. Apparently, she was volunteering at the retreat when the four of them met her, along with Chaeyoung.

“Let’s see how you’re doing.” Momo walked towards Dahyun to check up on her vitals. “You know, your friends have been very worried about you. Especially the tall one.”

Tzuyu blushed as Momo pointed out how scared she was for Dahyun. She wasn’t completely cleared to leave her bed, but with some convincing from Jihyo and Mina, the doctors at least put her in the same room as Dahyun.

Dahyun turned to Tzuyu with a playful glint in her eyes and Tzuyu knew she wasn’t going to hear the end of her teasing about it for the rest of their lives.

Jihyo laughed at Tzuyu’s demise as well, seeing the entire ordeal with her own eyes. She knew Tzuyu was _whipped_ but she didn’t know that Tzuyu was that whipped.

Recalling what Nayeon had spoken to her about the night before, Jihyo’s laughter faded, Mina turning to her in worry.

“Let’s go outside. Dahyun’s in safe hands.” Jihyo slipped her hand through Mina’s, pulling her out of the room before she could even say a word.

Mina followed silently, wondering about Jihyo’s actions yet not saying anything out loud until she spoke first.

“We need to find the person who crashed into them. I know you already think your brother is behind this. What if we find something that can incriminate him? Would you be okay with that?” Jihyo suggested.

Jihyo noticed Mina’s pause, knowing she was honestly considering it. “I… it depends on what it is. I don’t want to stoop as low as he has.”

“The car that Dahyun was driving must’ve had the dash camera, right? We could assess that. Nayeon suggested to bring it in before it could be taken away from you.” Jihyo held Mina’s hands in hers.

“I could go back and get it then.” Mina nodded.

“No, you’re not going alone. I’m coming with you.” Jihyo frowned, not liking the idea of Mina going back to her place on her own. “Your brother could have created a trap for you at home and I don’t think you should go alone.”

“Jihyo, I can’t endanger you again. No way. If I already almost lost Dahyun, Tzuyu was hospitalised – if you get hurt because of my brother, I won’t be able to deal with it.” Mina argued.

“Oh, yeah? And what if you get hurt? How do you think I’ll fare? It’s not just you protecting me, Mina. All I’m asking if for you not to go alone. If you don’t want me just me to come with you, take Nayeon’s guards with you as well. But I’m sure as hell not letting you go back home alone.” Jihyo growled.

Mina grumbled, fisting the front of Jihyo’s shirt. “You are insane. Completely and utterly insane.”

Jihyo chuckled, shaking her head, before placing a kiss on Mina’s forehead. Right now, it was everyone’s safety that was important. Despite Mina’s brother’s rash decisions, his actions have caused pain to the people who are closest to both of them. Perhaps what he wanted most, was a reaction from Mina. A strong reaction to the extent that people wouldn’t see her in the same light as they had – elegant, striving, strong. But, Mina had defied all of the odds, showing her unwavering nature to her brother and that had obviously agitated him.

In his eyes, he was the best person for the company. He was the one who could take it to higher places. But, his lack of thinking for decision making would be his downfall, if he ever were to be in the CEO position of Mina’s parents’ company.

“I told you that your safety is priority. I know you’re trying to hold onto everything and keep it together but you don’t have to shoulder it alone.” Jihyo sighed.

Mina looked up to her, seeing all of the worry swirling in her eyes, along with the gentleness that she carried whenever she was in Jihyo’s arms. She felt protected in that moment. She felt warm, comfortable, in the right place.

She cupped Jihyo’s right cheek, who closed her eyes and kissed the edge of Mina’s palm, covering Mina’s hand with her own. Slowly, Mina leaned forward, pressing her lips against Jihyo’s, trying to express her gratitude in the kiss.

Jihyo pulled her in closer by the waist, having missed the feeling of Mina’s lips on hers for so long. It was reassuring and heart melting and mind blowing all at once, yet Jihyo could never have enough of Mina’s kisses.

Mina tugged Jihyo forward by the base of her neck, kissing Jihyo even deeply, gently. There was possessiveness in her touch and Jihyo had to hold back her smile.

A soft gasp escaped Mina’s mouth as Jihyo softly nipped on her lips. The taste of her lips was always more than she expected. Overwhelming, yet addictive.

“I didn’t come out here to be blinded by this.” Tzuyu grumbled, making Jihyo and Mina jump away from each other, laughing nervously, hands still intertwined.

“You have terrible timing.” Jihyo snickered. “Is Dahyun asleep? That’s why you’re here?”

Tzuyu rolled her eyes, but didn’t reply, smile playing on her lips. “I recall that you messaged me about helping Mina out with your company before all of this happened. Are you still continuing with that?”

“Huh? Oh, right. Yes. We–”

Mina pulled on their intertwined hands, glaring at her girlfriend. “We didn’t even finalise anything. I don’t want you in this mess!”

“Sweetheart, I was already all in when I asked you to date me. I’m with you a hundred percent. Nothing you say will change that. This is me, being with you. We talked about this, and I know you were considering saying yes. You have nothing to worry about.” Jihyo explained. “Like you said, I’m insane. For you.”

Mina became teary of a sudden, scaring Jihyo. She hadn’t meant to make Mina cry with her words, it was just meant to make her trust her more.

“Hey, why are you crying?” Jihyo panicked, wiping away Mina’s tears with the edge of her shirt sleeves.

“You’re such an idiot, I can’t believe you sometimes. What do you even get out of helping me? You’re investing in a sinking ship.” Mina groaned.

“I see you, being happy. And I also see you working with me – which has great perks by the way.” Jihyo chuckled, turning to Tzuyu and nodding as she pulled Mina in her embrace.

\---

Tzuyu was typing away on her computer, working on helping Jihyo with buying out the remaining shares of Mina’s company. Dahyun was knocked out asleep due to her heavy pain relieving medication.

She heard about Jihyo’s plan, and she was extremely grateful. Honestly, if she got her own hands on the person who hurt Dahyun so much, she’d never let them go until they received the highest of punishments they deserved for getting her girlfriend into the position she was in right now.

Dahyun was stupid sometimes, really. Tzuyu couldn’t believe that she’d covered her in the second hit of the accident, just to avoid her from getting hurt. She relived that last moment every few hours, how Dahyun had pushed her, turned her around so that she wouldn’t get hurt.

Who allowed her to be the one to be selfish in this situation?

Who allowed her to hurt herself for Tzuyu’s sake?

She felt incredibly guilty. She felt like it was her own fault that Dahyun was in such a critical condition. Moving to put her face in her hands, Tzuyu took a break from work to think about Dahyun. She shuddered another time, seeing Dahyun’s worried face in the moments before they were impaled again.

_“Trust me. Turn around!”_

The words haunted her now. Tzuyu regretted turning around. She regretted listening to Dahyun. She was already bleeding from the cuts the glass had made on pale skin, not even flinching at the pain it must’ve caused. Instead, she had worried about Tzuyu and her wellbeing instead of herself.

Seeing Dahyun, stuck in that car while she couldn’t do anything but scream for help until her voice had gone hoarse – it tortured her. She was on her knees, feeling the gravel of the road push against her skin as she begged anyone to help them out. Tzuyu had managed to squirm out of the car, but Dahyun had been trapped, and managed to stayed conscious for a few excruciatingly long minutes.

_“Dahyun, stay awake, please!”_

Tzuyu hated that Dahyun had even tried to smile through the pain as she held onto her hand, trying to keep her awake. She hated that Dahyun had constantly repeated _it will be okay_ to her. Because it was not okay. Dahyun was not okay. She was fighting for her life and she was losing so much blood. So much of it had seeped into the side of her shirt. So much of it was all over Tzuyu’s hands.

She shut her eyes tightly, trying to erase the memory; trying to erase the fact that she’d almost lost Dahyun. Someone had finally run up to the two of them, hurriedly dialling emergency services for them both and Tzuyu was deeply in their debt. In that abandoned road, someone had seen them, and they hadn’t hesitated to help them out. If it was any longer, Tzuyu couldn’t help but think of the negative outcome that would have arisen. She didn’t want to consider it.

And until the ambulances had arrived, Tzuyu had sat down beside Dahyun, all the way until the paramedics had arrived. Even then, she hadn’t wanted to let go of Dahyun’s hand that was a lot colder than she’d ever felt before.

_“Help her first. Don’t touch me!”_

Tzuyu had to be dragged out, away from Dahyun to get checked out herself, not even realising she was bleeding. She’d screamed and shouted, kicking the person who was pulling her away from Dahyun. She wanted to stay by her side. She wanted to make sure she was okay, that she would get through it. Tzuyu saw how carefully they pulled her out of the car. She saw how Dahyun’s hand fell off the stretcher as if she was gone.

Perhaps they had sedated her, because Tzuyu couldn’t remember how she got to the hospital. She just woke up to white walls and white sheets, a towering figure, her boss, hovering over her in concern.

When Jihyo had told her about Dahyun’s condition, Tzuyu really wanted to just bolt towards the room she was in, just to get a sight of how she was. But she knew it was impossible, at least for a day as they ran tests on Tzuyu. She thrived off Jihyo’s updates of progress, and Tzuyu had almost shed tears when she was told that Dahyun was moving her fingers, showing that she was regaining consciousness.

She never wanted to be in such a position again. She never wanted Dahyun to sacrifice herself like that again. Because, damn, she’d lose her mind if Dahyun were to leave her, or get hurt because of her, again. Tzuyu would make sure to get that through to Dahyun. She really wanted to ask her what brought on her rash thinking.

But, it wasn’t even her rash thinking. Why had Tzuyu listened to her when Dahyun told her to move? She felt stupid because she’d turned around. She let Dahyun take the brunt of the damage. She put her in that hospital bed.

“Hey.” Dahyun called out, stirring awake, still drowsy from the medication.

Tzuyu was by her side in an instant, offering her water to drink and holding on to her hand.

It was warm.

Not like the coldness she’d felt when they’d pulled her into the ambulance.

Tzuyu closed her eyes tightly, running her thumb across Dahyun’s hand. Feeling the warmth. Reminding herself that Dahyun was with her, alive, healthy. Her Dahyun was fine. She’d pulled through.

As if she was aware of what was going through Tzuyu’s mind, Dahyun intertwined their fingers together, squeezing a few times.

“I’m here.” Dahyun whispered.

With those mere words, Tzuyu broke down.

Dahyun really wished she could use her hand to wipe away her tears. She didn’t want to see Tzuyu like this. She was still here. She was still by her side. She’d made it through.

Tzuyu leaned her forehead against Dahyun’s shoulder, and it was a good enough angle for her to run her hand through Tzuyu’s hair, cooing after her to stop crying. But the shaking continued, sobs getting louder because Tzuyu was unable to hold in all of the emotions that swirled inside of her. As she felt Tzuyu’s tears wet her own shoulder, Dahyun couldn’t help the tears forming in her own eyes.

“It’s okay. I’m fine.” Dahyun attempted to console Tzuyu.

“You’re here.” Tzuyu mumbled through her tears, repeating it over and over again, trying to convince herself.

Dahyun’s heart cracked a little bit, seeing the state her girlfriend was. She really didn’t want to see her in this condition again. It hurt her that Tzuyu was crying over her because she was so afraid of losing her.

“I would kiss you and hug you to comfort you but I’m in a bind right now.” Dahyun attempted to stop Tzuyu’s cries.

“Don’t you dare do that again.” Tzuyu scolded through her tears.

“Hey, I know it’s almost Christmas season, but I think you should let Rudolph have his job back. Your red nose might outdo his.” Dahyun teased, successfully making Tzuyu laugh.

She shuffled over on the hospital bed, patting it, encouraging Tzuyu to lay down with her.

“I don’t want to hurt you.” Tzuyu shook her head.

“You won’t hurt me by lying down next to me.” Dahyun rolled her eyes, encouragingly patting the spot again.

And then, Dahyun had pulled a pout on Tzuyu and she couldn’t say no. Carefully, after lowering the left bar of the bed, Tzuyu climbed in next to Dahyun, gasping as she came into contact with her cold toes.

“Did you get me in here to warm yourself up?” Tzuyu squinted at her girlfriend, getting her answer when Dahyun blushed. “Hmm. Well, if I’m going to do that, shouldn’t I at least get something in return? I’m pretty sure I made it easier for you to hug and kiss me now.”

Dahyun laughed at Tzuyu’s suggestion, wasting no time to lean forward and kiss Tzuyu tenderly. Tzuyu sighed into the kiss, missing being so close to her, after almost losing her. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around Dahyun’s waist, gingerly, to not hurt her right side.

This is how apart she wanted to be from Dahyun. At least, until she was okay with not having her so close to her.

After the accident, Tzuyu had no idea when she’d be able to let go of Dahyun’s hand.

But, it’s not like she wanted to let go of it at all in the first place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> @likeuwuahh on twitter


	14. [014] - stay behind me, okay?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trigger warning for kidnapping (minor)

Jihyo was nervous. It was evident in the way her hand was shaking. It was evident in the way she was looking around. It was evident in the way she was tapping her feet against the floor. She screamed nervousness.

Despite the fact that she’d walked out of the hospital with confidence, it vanished into thin air. Now, she wavered as she parked in front of Mina’s place. Beside her, Mina remained in a daze, staring outside. Her state added to Jihyo’s anxiety.

Even though this was Mina’s place where she’d be safe, she had an ugly feeling that things were not going to go as planned. She hated that such thoughts even infiltrated her mind but after hearing everything that Mina’s brother was capable of doing, Jihyo couldn’t help the fear from bubbling inside her. For now, she had to try to show a positive outlook.

This was going to go smoothly and nothing will go wrong. _Nothing_. It was a risky move going inside but it would be worth it.

All they had to do was walk in there, remove the storage device from the car and come right out. It sounded simple and straightforward.

But Mina’s brother had capabilities no one else had. Jihyo prayed that they wouldn’t find him inside the house. She prayed they weren’t about to walk into a trap that would put Mina in danger _again_.

As if Mina sensed Jihyo’s increasing worry, she turned to face her girlfriend, reaching over to squeeze her hand in reassurance. Immediately, Jihyo’s shoulders relaxed and she released a deep breath, feeling some of the fear fade away.

“I told you, I can go inside alone. I know you’re worried about my safety but if you feel that you don’t want to be with me right now, I understand.” Mina voiced out her insecurities.

Jihyo frowned, slightly insulted that Mina would even think that she wouldn’t want to be by her side when she needed her most.

“I will be with you every step of the way. I’m not leaving you.” Jihyo reassured, placing a hard kiss on Mina’s lips that left her speechless.

Mina intertwined her hand with Jihyo’s, bringing it to her lips. She kissed Jihyo’s hand gently and held it against her chest. Jihyo didn’t like the vibes she was getting from the night. It made her unsettled. Mina looked up at her, giving her a concerned glance. Jihyo simply smiled and leaned forward to kiss Mina’s forehead.

Perhaps she could finally speak her feelings tonight. The fear that something was going to go wrong filled Jihyo’s brain. If Mina was hurt by the end of the night, or if she, herself was hurt, Jihyo wanted her to know her true feelings. She would’ve rather spoken her following words in a situation where things weren’t so escalated, but her heart was telling her to speak now.

“I… Mina, I just want to say that I love you.” Jihyo confessed, refusing to make eye contact with her girlfriend. Mina gasped as Jihyo laid out her confession for her, raw and beautiful. “You don’t have to say anything. I just needed to tell you.”

Mina’s words were caught in her throat and she nodded. She wanted to reply. She wanted to say that she loves Jihyo too. But her courage faded and Jihyo pulled back, separating their linked hands.

She exited the car first, walking around to Mina’s side and waiting for her to step out too. Jihyo decided against locking the doors to her car, only because it could aware someone of her presence. Every decision made had its repercussions. The beep would be enough to alert anyone nearby. This was meant to be a quick in and out retrieval.

“Mina, stay behind me, okay?” Jihyo demanded as she crept towards her front door.

“You do remember that you’ve only been to my house _once_. Where’s my garage?” Mina pointed out, making Jihyo flush in embarrassment. “As much as I absolutely appreciate that you want to take charge, you need to let me be in front.”

Jihyo nodded and let Mina walk ahead of her as she took it on herself to survey their surroundings. It was awfully quiet in the neighbourhood and perhaps it was a sign of no changes around the place. But Jihyo wasn’t going to lower her attention to their surroundings. For all she knows, that was what Mina’s brother was hoping to happen.

Mina inserted her key into the lock, turning it ever so slowly. It clicked when it unlocked and Jihyo felt like it was the loudest thing in the quietness of their surroundings. Gently pushing the door open, Mina crept inside, Jihyo on her tail.

Even in the darkness, Jihyo could see the worry etched on Mina’s face as she glanced around her house. Jihyo held onto her hand, pulling her backwards for a moment. She couldn’t help herself; she pulled Mina into a hug and kissed the side of her head. She attempted to speak through her eyes, hoping Mina understood what she was saying. _You’ll be fine. We’ll be fine._

It was a small smile, but Jihyo was glad to see it from Mina. She nodded too before returning to her route to the garage.

Jihyo shivered on her spot, feeling uncomfortable, as if someone was staring at her. She turned around for a moment but couldn’t see a thing and shrugged it off as her anxiety peaking. She rubbed her arms, hoping to increase the warmth in her body.

When Mina reached the door to the garage, Jihyo got ready to follow her, only to be pushed back inside. She shook her head and Jihyo frowned. She didn’t want Mina to go inside on her own. It wasn’t safe. She was about to argue with Mina about her choice when she placed her palm on top of her lips.

She shook her head again and Jihyo sighed heavily, nodding and accepting her wish. She watched Mina walk inside and close the door, tension and worry rising in her chest.

In her distracted state, Jihyo wasn’t able to notice the figure that crept up behind her. She was too distracted to hear the footsteps. She was too distracted to see the shadow. She was too distracted to defend herself when a handkerchief covered her nose.

\---

Tzuyu held onto the handles of Dahyun’s wheelchair as she led her to the park in the hospital. After plenty of gruelling sessions with the therapists and doctors, Dahyun was finally allowed to go outside. She felt so refreshed feeling the fresh air for the first time in so long. Being in the hospital room was extremely exhausting. It was all sleeping and eating and therapy exercises. At least when she was with Tzuyu, she got a break from all of the insanity.

Since both of their bosses gave them forced leave to recover from the accident, Tzuyu was almost like a permanent resident at the hospital, along with Dahyun. She even shared the room with her at night (which was the highlight of Dahyun’s night because she got to cuddle with her wonderful girlfriend).

“Where are we going?” Dahyun tilted her head up to ask her girlfriend.

Tzuyu laughed and pecked her nose. “As if I can even take you far. We’re going to the fountain.”

Dahyun grumbled in disappointment but she understood. She crossed her arms as Tzuyu chuckled at her sulking behaviour. She stopped the wheelchair and crouched in front of her, holding her hands in her own.

“The faster you recover, the quicker you’ll be out of here. If you go to all of your therapy lessons and stop faking stomach aches, you’ll be here less.” Tzuyu attempted to encourage Dahyun.

Dahyun flushed red because of the embarrassment of being caught about lying when she didn’t want to go to her therapy sessions. They were exhausting and draining, she preferred to stay in bed. But, Tzuyu’s point about getting out of the hospital was true. She pouted as she considered Tzuyu’s words of encouragement.

“What else do I get for going to therapy?” Dahyun asked, feeling grouchy.

“Well, I was going to suggest kisses but you’re extremely grumpy already, so I don’t think they’ll be of any use.” Tzuyu sighed exaggeratedly, ignoring how Dahyun’s eyes lit up upon the mention of kisses.

“No! Go back on that point!” Dahyun whined, reaching out for Tzuyu.

Tzuyu shook her head but allowed Dahyun to hold her shoulders. She wasn’t surprised that Dahyun was inclined upon the mention of kisses. If Tzuyu threw in hugs too, there would be no doubt that Dahyun would rush to get better.

“What point?” Tzuyu teased Dahyun.

“Are you going to be this mean to a patient?” Dahyun argued.

“Of course not, your highness.” Tzuyu dramatically bowed, earning a slap from Dahyun. “I promise I’ll give you a kiss after every therapy lesson, okay?”

“No! That’s not good enough.” Dahyun shook her head. She wanted more than just one kiss.

“How about one before and one after? And then we can cuddle.” Tzuyu offered, thinking it was definitely more than she needed.

Dahyun placed her finger on her chin as if she was contemplating the offer. Tzuyu rolled her eyes at the overdramatization but pretended to be curious about her answer. “Since you suggested something good, I think it can work.”

“Think?” Tzuyu crossed her arms.

“Okay, okay. I _promise_ I’ll work on my therapy sessions.” Dahyun pouted.

Tzuyu nodded in satisfaction before taking Dahyun to their initial destination. They spent so much time discussing the therapy issue that they only had fifteen minutes before Tzuyu had to take Dahyun back inside the hospital room.

She took Dahyun to an empty bench, sitting on it herself as they watched the fountain together. Tzuyu kept shifting in her spot, feeling more agitated than usual. She was bugged by her own thoughts. She had an inkling something bad was coming. Unless, she was just being conscious over Dahyun’s injury. The worst was already over, wasn’t it? There would be nothing else coming their way that could harm them.

They had been so worried the past few hours but Miss Im had hired bodyguards who were almost always around them every minute of the day.

If it wasn’t themselves who would be getting into trouble, Tzuyu sensed her boss could be in danger. After the whole business agreement with Mina and her company, it would make sense if she’d be targeted for her actions.

Actually, now that she thought about it, Jihyo and Miss Myoui were acting different from usual last night. When she caught them kissing outside Dahyun’s room, Tzuyu felt like it more of a reassuring kiss. Moments before, she’d seen them almost shouting at each other from the window of the room. Perhaps it was about the accident.

And even when Tzuyu had approached them, they definitely changed the subject and moved to the merging of the two companies. There was a lot going on between them last night and Tzuyu really wished they hadn’t acted on any rash thoughts or plans. She hoped that her gut feeling was incorrect and that she was just being paranoid.

“Tzu?” Dahyun called for her girlfriend’s attention after seeing her in such deep thought.

“Yeah? I’m sorry I was thinking about something.” Tzuyu forced a smile, looking away from Dahyun’s gaze.

Dahyun frowned and leaned forward, tilting Tzuyu’s face up by the tips of her fingers. She knew there was something wrong and Tzuyu wasn’t telling her what was on her mind right now.

“What are you thinking about?” Dahyun asked softly.

Tzuyu’s eyes watered and Dahyun’s concern shot up immediately. She had never seen Tzuyu cry about her thoughts other than when she believed she was going to lose Dahyun.

“I’m worried. I’m terrified. I have a terrible feeling in my stomach like something is about to go wrong and I don’t like it one bit.” Tzuyu panicked. “It’s unsettling me. I can’t think of anything else.”

“Do you think it’s us?” Dahyun reached over to hold Tzuyu’s hand.

“No, I feel like it’s Jihyo and Miss Myoui.” Tzuyu deadpanned.

Dahyun ran her tongue over her lips as she considered what Tzuyu just said. If their bosses were in danger, so were they, right?

“Call your Miss Park. I’ll call Mina.” Dahyun suggested. She pats her pockets for her phone, only to realise she left it in her room. “Okay, just call Miss Park.”

Tzuyu’s fingers shook as she searched for Jihyo’s number in her contact list. Dahyun held onto her hand, keeping her stable. She dialled her number, pressing it against her ear.

No answer.

She tried again.

No answer.

Tears were prickling at the corner of her eyes now. Maybe Jihyo was just busy with Mina and they were spending time with each other.

“Do you know Miss Myoui’s number?” Tzuyu handed her phone over to Dahyun.

Dahyun nodded and dialled the number, biting her lip as it rung.

No answer. It went straight to voicemail.

She tried again.

Voicemail.

She was about to try again when the phone buzzed with an incoming call. Dahyun almost lost her grip on the phone, but steadied it. It was Mina’s number. She was going to hand it to Tzuyu but she shook her head, pointing for Dahyun to take it. Mina was her boss after all.

“…”

“…”

There was silence as none of the two speakers dared to say anything over the phone. What if someone else had Mina’s phone? What if it wasn’t in her hands?

“H-hello?” Dahyun took the risk. “Hello?”

“Dahyun, is that you?” Mina’s voice sounded relieved.

“Mina!”

“Dahyun, I need you to find Miss Im. Find Miss Im and tell her that you need to go to the police. Tell her it’s an emergency.” Mina demanded over the phone.

“Mina, what’s going on?” Dahyun started to panic.

“I need you to do that for me, please Dahyun. I’m scared my brother is tracking my phone. You need to get out of the hospital immediately. Call Nayeon, ditch the phone. You can trust her.” Mina rushed.

“But what are we going to the police for? What do I tell her?” Dahyun’s worry escalated. Tzuyu was already on the way to taking her back to the room.

“Dahyun, is Tzuyu with you?” Mina whispered.

“I’m here Miss.” Tzuyu made her presence known.

“I’m sorry Tzuyu. I’m sorry, it’s my fault. Jihyo got kidnapped.” Mina apologised.

Tzuyu’s world seemed to freeze just then. That couldn’t have happened. Jihyo was like her elder sister. No, no, no. She denied the possibility of it happening.

“Tzu.” Dahyun’s voice brought her back to the present. She was worried about her.

“Miss Myoui, it’s not your fault. Don’t you need to ditch your phone too? Are you driving Jihyo’s car?” Tzuyu shook herself out of her distraught state. She had to be strong right now. They had to find Jihyo.

“Her jeep?” Mina answered.

“Check under the seat. We will find her Miss Myoui. We’re going to find her.” Tzuyu declared, manoeuvring Dahyun’s wheelchair through the corridors of the hospital.

Jihyo always kept her emergency phone hidden under the driver’s seat. Tzuyu hoped Mina could find it. She had that number memorised, so there was no issue. She pulled her SIM card out of her phone and disposed it in the sanitary trash. Tzuyu scanned their surroundings before moving forward and entering their room.

“Let me use your phone. I don’t have a SIM anymore.” Tzuyu picked Dahyun’s phone and dialled Miss Im’s number.

After a few rings, someone picked up.

“Hello? Miss Im?” Tzuyu’s voice cracked over the phone.

“This is Minatozaki Sana speaking, her secretary. May I know who is speaking?” Sana greeted.

“Sana, it’s Tzuyu, Miss Park’s secretary. I have an emergency as I was told to talk to Miss Im.” Tzuyu answered.

“Oh, of course. I’ll give the phone to her right now.” Sana gasped, giving it to Nayeon.

“Tzuyu? What’s wrong?” Nayeon immediately questioned over the phone.

“I–um.” Tzuyu was unaware of where she should start. “Jihyo’s been kidnapped.”

There was a pause on the other side of the line. Tzuyu could tell that Nayeon was already trying to figure something out.

“How do you know she was kidnapped?” Nayeon asked, typing away to get backup bodyguards on Tzuyu and Dahyun.

“Miss Myoui called me and told me of the situation. She told us to contact you and the police and also told us to leave the hospital. You’re the one she can trust.” Tzuyu explained their situation.

Another pause. Tzuyu heard the jumbling of keys and whispering. She assumed that it was Sana who Miss Im was talking to. A few moments pass and the silence continued over the phone. Tzuyu was still nervous as ever.

“I’m sorry about that Tzuyu.” Nayeon sighed. “I’m on the way with Sana to pick you two up. We’ll take you to one of our secured facilities. Stay put. Police is already aware of the situation and they have their best searching for her. We _will_ find Jihyo. I promise you.”

“Thank you, Miss Im.” Tzuyu almost cried.

“I want you two to stay in the room. Don’t open the door until I call you and you know that it’s me. Your safety is just as important as Mina’s and Jihyo’s. Please take care.” Nayeon wanted them to be safe until the next ten minutes.

She couldn’t let them get hurt.

And, with the way Sana was driving them right now, she was more scared of arriving at the hospital injured. She furrowed her eyebrows as she drove and it peaked Nayeon’s worries.

“What’s wrong?” Nayeon hesitated to ask.

Sana remained silent for a few moments. “They’re just kids. Their life will never be the same.”

Nayeon’s worry settled down a few notches. Sana was thinking about her own past. That’s why she was so involved in this situation.

“We will save them from future troubles Sana. We will protect them. Nothing more will happen.” Nayeon promised, reaching over to squeeze Sana’s hand.

They would save Dahyun and Tzuyu.

And then they’d find Jihyo.

No one will be hurt anymore.

That was Nayeon’s promise.


End file.
